China, let her in
In Canada we take it for granted that we can voice our opinions without fear of state intervention.
But that’s not the case for Chinese immigrants to Canada who are critical of their homeland. They can expect the kind of intimidation that Anastasia Lin,Canada’s Miss World contestant, is experiencing from afar.
Chinese security agents first tried to stop the 25-year-old Torontonian from advocating for freedom of religion and expression in China by threatening her father, who still lives there.
Now, China has refused to issue her the invitation letter she needs to obtain a visa by Friday so she can attend the Miss World 2015 contest on Hainan Island in China, which begins on Saturday.
So far, Lin is fighting this battle on her own. The Canadian government has remained silent and pageant organizers say it’s not their problem. Both should make it clear that Canadian citizens cannot be threatened by foreign powers. Not that China has succeeded in silencing Lin. The 25-year-old beauty queen is like the mouse that roared. In 2013, when she first entered the Miss World Canada pageant, placing third, the classically trained pianist dedicated a song to “those who lost their life for their faith and the millions of people still fighting for their faith today.”
Last May, when she won the title of Miss World Canada 2015, she again defended freedom of expression and religion, including that of the Falun Gong group, which is outlawed in China. In June, she wrote an opinion piece for the Washington Post criticizing her former homeland’s record on human rights. In July, she made her case before a U.S. congressional committee.
And this month she is making as much noise in the news media as she can to draw attention to China’s efforts to prevent her from attending the Miss World 2015 pageant.
How can Lin continue speaking out despite the threats against her father? As she wrote in the Washington Post: “Silence will not protect my father . . . I know he is safer in the light of international attention than in the shadows sought by the authoritarians.”
She is right. And she is right about this, too: “Freedom comes when we stop accepting tyranny.”
Both the Global Affairs department and pageant organizers could learn a lot from Lin about standing up to bullies. China, for its part, should open its doors and welcome this bright young Canadian.
Beijing is refusing to issue documents to Toronto contestant