Kadija Mohamed

HUMA-2400
Suzanne Jacobs
August 5, 2014
Media Review: Buddhist Sect Leader Detained During Raid by Becky Davis
This article from the New York Times talks about a Buddhist master Wu Zeheng
who was arrested by the Guangdong (China) police. The police staged a coordinated raid on
a number of businesses and living compounds run by Wus group, Huazang Dharma. Along
with Wu many children were taken as well. The communists party is cracking down on
religious organizations that regulate activity outside of the government.
When reading the article, the author is very informative and straight to the point. At
first I thought maybe the author was being biased towards Master Wu and religious
organizations in China, but as the articles goes on the author gives different perspectives.
The author gives clear cut info on the current issue which was the arrest and why the
police did what they did. She does acknowledge that its not really clear as to why he was
arrested and talks about the positive end of Mr. Wu and the things his organization does.
Huazang s website calls for the groups followers to do a good deed each day and to fast
several days a month and to also donate to charity. The author really did an excellent job
reaching all of its audiences pro and con.
I think for the Chinese government to raid this organization for the simple fact that
they are an organized religion is ridiculous. I really dont care for the religion, especially if
theyre not affecting people directly in a negative way. In the article it mentioned that this
group has drawn thousands of followers within China and across the world. The article
mentions nothing about any extremists activities that this group participates in. I have to
respect the fact that China has its own regulations on the nations religious beliefs, but still
to arrest with no cause is pretty harsh.
Like I said before I think this article was great and not biased at all, very informative
and straightforward. The author covered all areas. This article relates to the things I
learned in class. I learned about Buddhism and their essential practices. I also remember
learning along the way that there are places like China that regulate what you can and cant
believe in. While I was reading this article I was not stunned that China regulates which
religions you can practice, because I already learned in this class the norm of the rest of the
world.


























Citation
Davis, Becky. "Buddhist Sect Leader Detained During Raid." Sinosphere Buddhist Sect Leader
Detained During Raid Comments. The New York Times, 5 Aug. 2014. Web. 05 Aug. 2014.