Religious freedoms are routinely denied by the three countries reviewed in this chapter: China, India, and Iran. However, the motivation and even the avenues used for denying the freedoms vary from one country to the next. In China, religion is perceived as a threat to the state and is closely monitored by multiple state agencies, most extensively by the Religious Affairs Bureau. By contrast, the central government of India offers some assurances of religious freedoms, but such freedoms are often perceived as a threat to social and cultural unity at the local level, resulting in strong social pressures to restrict the activities of select religions. Finally, in Iran, religious freedoms are viewed as both a political and a social threat, and both the central government and social and religious groups become involved in restricting the activities of minority religions.

As with the previous chapter, we begin with an extended case study – this time of China. Similar to Japan, China has a long track record of denying religious freedoms. Unlike Japan, however, China continues to deny these freedoms. We discuss the motivations for and outcomes of China's intense regulation of religion. We then review the social pressures for religious restrictions in India and close the chapter by describing how one religious group monopolizes the religious, social, and political life in Iran. As noted earlier, controls are often imposed on religion in an attempt to maintain social order and curb religious violence, but the outcome is typically just the opposite.