Hanoi (VNA) –Religious activities on social networks have become increasingly diverse amidthe Fourth Industrial Revolution. However, apart from proper practices, someindividuals and organisations have taken advantage of the internet to carry outillegal activities, which requires state agencies to take countermeasures.

About 95 percent of Vietnam’spopulation engage in religious or belief-related practices. Sixteen religions with43 relevant organisations have been recognised and licensed by the State. Theygather over 27 million followers (about 28 percent of the population) and havenearly 30,000 places of worship.

Amid the strong developmentof the “digital life”, religious activities on the cyberspace are a sensitiveissue that reactionary and sabotage forces have continually taken advantage ofto drive a wedge in the great national unity and between the Party and thepeople.

Many activities on the internethave made use of religions or beliefs to distort the doctrines of orthodoxreligions and propagandise heresies and information running counter to goodtraditional customs. Such activities involve not only people living in the country but also those abroad, including hostile and reactionary elements as well as saboteurs.

By creating the crowd effector scandals to attract public attention, they have spread misinformation aboutorthodox religions, driven a wedge to the national solidarity, and defamed theParty, the State, and the religious policy of Vietnam. In particular, they havefrequently fabricated allegation on the administration’s discrimination against andsuppression of religions so as to sow divisions in Vietnam and undermine thecountry’s prestige in the international arena. They have also colluded withsome foreign individuals and organisations to slander the freedom of religionin Vietnam.

Suggesting some solutions toimprove the management of religious and belief-related activities on cyberspace,Dr Bui Van Huan from the School of Politics of Bac Giang province said first of all,it is necessary to increase communications in appropriate forms to help usersof social networks realise the plots and ruses used by hostile forces and notfollow heresies or take part in illegal religious organisations. Religiousdignitaries should play a more active role in fighting the abuse ofreligions and beliefs to disseminate wrongful viewpoints and information.

Second, state agencies should step up fine-tuning legal documents on religious and belief-relatedactivities on cyberspace and effectively enforcing them.

Third, it is important to activelyprevent and effectively deal with illegal religious activities on the internetwhile increasing measures to prevent plots and actions abusing religions orbeliefs to sabotage the Party, State, and regime or taking advantage of thefreedom of speech to sow divisions on the internet.

Fourth, it is also necessary tobring into play the role of the Episcopal Council of Vietnam and the Executive Councilof the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha to rectify wrong practices on cyberspace;maintain dialogue about the Catholic situation in Vietnam with the HolySee; keep regular contact with the US Ambassador and the Ambassador and head ofthe EU Delegation to Vietnam to exchange information about the enforcement oflaws on religions and beliefs in the country; and provide official informationto serve the combat against hostile forces slandering the democracy, humanrights, and religious freedom in Vietnam, according to Huan./.