School Bans 4 Y.O. Over Grandma's Beliefs

Now we turn to China, where we dive into an instance of religious persecution. A little boy banned from school because his grandmother refuses to give up her faith. NTD's Tiffany Meier brings us more. The boy lives in Macheng city ( 麻城) inside Hubei province. He's being blocked from school all because of his grandmother practices meditation discipline Falun Gong. The kindergarten refused to allow him to attend, under pressure from Chinese authorities. Falun Gong is a spiritual practice that originated in China. At one time, it was reportedly practiced in China by 100 million people, before the Chinese Communist Party ordered an all-out persecution campaign against it in 1999. Those who practice follow the guiding principals of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance in their daily lives. According to U-S based Falun Gong information website Minghui.org, the boy’s grandma, named Tao Lahuai (陶腊怀), still practices Falun Gong in China, despite the danger. She reportedly refused to give up her faith, despite police harassment and being detained multiple times over the last two decades. Tao is in her 70s. For years, she was a teacher at the same kindergarten that has since banned her grandson. She retired 15 years ago. The kindergarten principal told Tao's family that the boy couldn’t be admitted unless Tao signs a statement promising to give up Falun Gong. The kindergarten had already made the demand several times before, which Tao refused. The principal even told the other teachers that if Tao refused to stop practicing Falun Gong, all teachers would have their bonuses canceled by the order of Chinese authorities.