BEIJING: Communist China, which has been subjected to severe persecution by Christian believers, is now back in action after the government’s crackdown on Christian churches and Christian symbols in the country. Authorities have ordered a nationwide inquiry into who purchased the Bible and other Christian books from the online bookstore, according to a report released by China Aid. In late October, authorities handed over a proposal to contact Bible buyers from the online bookstore ‘Wheat Bookstore’.
Following this, the police arrested the owner of the bookstore, Zhang Shawomai. He was arrested for allegedly selling Christian publications from foreign institutions and selling them illegally in China. Already, many people have been questioned by the police in connection with this. Many were contacted by police over the phone and asked to reach the station with the books they had purchased.
There have been complaints that police in some houses in Siam have trespassed and seized Bibles without adequate documentation. About 10 government officials have forcibly seized some books at the temple in Guangzhou. “China Aid” reports that the owner of the land on which the shrine is located and the property management company has pressed for the contract to be canceled.
The Wheat Bookstore, an online retailer that sells Bibles and Christian items, has already sold more than twenty thousand items. Of these, more than 800 publications have been declared ‘illegal’. Last year the Chinese government outlawed the sale of online Bibles. The proceedings clearly show that the spread of the Christian faith and the influence of the Bible disturbs the communist state.
