OVERVIEW

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a largely spiritual movement that is made up of:

 Buddhist principles,

 Taoist principles, 

 Confucianism principles

Qigong (body, mind and physical exercise, and healing techniques)   

Falun Gong is a Chinese discipline for the mind and body. It involves meditation and easily paced exercises. The ideas of the belief are based on truth, compassion, and tolerance. Falun Gong began in China in 1992 and quickly spread throughout China and then beyond China’s borders. Falun Gong is practiced by over 100 million people in over 60 countries.

THE PERSECUTION THEY EXPERIENCE

The followers of this belief have experienced many levels of persecution in China. Why? For one thing, China is a communist country. The communist policy is officially atheist, so anything of spiritual value is discouraged and often made illegal for not being loyal to the communist policy. For people who live in a democratic country, the freedom of belief is considered one of the most important policies to keep, but in China, rights such as that are rarely protected.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE PERSECUTION OF FALUN GONG FOLLOWERS

Since the start of Falun Gong in 1992, the 70-million practitioners of Falun Gong in China far outnumbered Party members led by dictator Jiang Zemin. Jiang ordered the persecution of the believers because of his own feeling that he wouldn’t be able to control them otherwise. This also led him to persecute other, smaller groups that he would have not been able to totally control such as Protestants, Roman Catholics, and Tibetan Buddhists.

How many people have been affected by Jiang Zemin's persecution of Falun Gong? According to the Falun Gong Information Center, as of mid-July 2003, the number of confirmed deaths among the thousands of Falun Gong followers in Chinese custody was 1,006. . Over 100,000 have been illegally sent to labor camps without trials. More than 500 have been sentenced to prison terms of up to 18 years. Several thousand Falun Gong followers have been forced into mental hospitals.

The persecution is not just a problem for those living in China. It affects Chinese-Americans too. When an American Falun Gong practitioner stepped off a plane into China, he was immediately arrested by Chinese officials. He had been hoping to spread the word about religious persecution, but instead, he became a victim of it.

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP

1.    Spread awareness: tell friends and family about this injustice

2.    Contact your government officials and tell them that you want the persecution of the Falun Gong to stop

3.    Visit http://faluninfo.net/activitycenter.asp to learn more about how you can help and to donate money for the cause