An article that stated "it is wrong to consider Lamaism a pacifying religion" has drawn a lot of attention since it appeared on the website of the China Tibet Information Center.

The article, quoting an item published in the German newspaper Die Welt on July 30, said the history of Tibet was not filled with peace.

It quoted the authors of the article, Victor Trimondi and Victoria Trimondi, as saying that Lamaism follows a strict hierarchical system that requires students to obey their master, contending that this system prevents people from developing their own personalities.

It highlighted the authors' point of view that international society has not been made aware of the violent and dark side of Lamaism because the 14th Dalai Lama and his followers have been hiding and whitewashing the facts.

Moreover, so-called "humanistic values" did not exist in the history of Old Tibet under the rule of the Dalai Lama.

Before the middle of the 20th century, Lamaist rule had integrated the church and state and enforced penalties and slavery not very different from the inquisition conducted by the Roman Catholic Church in the Middle Ages, the article quoted the two German scholars as saying.

(China Daily August 29, 2007)