Beijing has removed an article from prominent mainland websites that is deeply critical of the US-led war in Iraq and written by the mainland's religious affairs chief, an overseas religion watchdog said yesterday.
According to US-based rights group China Aid Association, the government has taken the article off state-backed websites - including the People's Daily, Xinhua and Phoenix.com - fearing it could be misunderstood by the US.
The People's Daily commentary, written by State Bureau of Religious Affairs director Ye Xiaowen on February 1 and titled 'Bush should reflect deeply', urged the US administration to perform a 'comprehensive self-examination' over the war.
Mr Ye said US President George W. Bush had lost support domestically and internationally, as reflected in a series of anti-war protests in Washington and other countries. He said Mr Bush should scrap his unilateral approach and respect religious diversity in his 'war on terror' to resolve the problems of Iraq.
Mr Ye also criticised terms such as 'crusade' and 'Islamic fascism' that Mr Bush had used in relation to the war in Iraq.
'How can you link anti-terrorism with a particular religion?' Mr Ye asked.