Information regarding Baha'i in China is scarce among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate. In a telephone conversation with the Research Directorate the Director of Governmental Relations of the Ottawa office of the Baha'i Community of Canada stated that the Baha'i community in China is not organized and has not sought recognition or registration from the government; instead individual members of Baha'i practice as individuals (19 July 2000). According to the Director, the Baha'i in China do not proselytize and are generally well regarded by the authorities because of their philosophy of obedience to government (ibid.). Because the Baha'i in China are not organized, the Director stated that it was impossible to comment on their geographic distribution in the country and was unable to comment specifically on Shandong province.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Reference

Baha'i Community of Canada, Ottawa. 19 July 2000. Telephone interview with Director of Governmental Relations.

Additional Sources Consulted

Annual International Religious Freedom Report: 1999.

Les Baha'is Peuple de la Triple Unité

China Study Journal

IRB Databases

NEXIS

World News Connection (WNC)

Internet sites, including:

http://www.bahai.org

Search engines, including:

Dogpile

Fastweb

Hotbot

Yahoo