Defend Russian Hindus campaign launches in Parliament

12 Jan 2006

	Links:
	Defend Russian Hindus Presentation (PowerPoint, 3.5 Mb)
	www.defendrussianhindus.org
	www.hinduforum.org

In 1971, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada visited Moscow and planted the seeds of Sanatan dharm. Under Russian communism though, religion was brutally repressed. Several practicioners were imprisoned in mental hospitals and tortured to death. Despite this, Hinduism became one of Russia's fastest-growing religions, and, after the fall of communism, many centres and temples opened across the whole of Russia.

One of the most dynamic places of growth has been Moscow, where there are now tens of thousands of devotees.

Two years ago, the Mayor of Moscow asked ISKCON Hindus to vacate their temple in exchange for a piece of land on which they could build a bigger temple. After land was allocated for the new temple, the original temple was demolished. The Russian Orthodox Church orchestrated mass protests against the allocation of land and started a misinformation campaign against Hindus in the media. Many Hindus were victimised, threatened, bullied, beaten and subject to violence.

On October 30th 2005, after bowing down to pressure from the Orthodox Church, the Mayor of Moscow cancelled the land order and took away the piece of land given for the construction of the temple. Now, the 15,000 Hindus in Moscow have no place to worship. The consecrated Deities of Radha and Krishna will have no home.

To add to this, around the time of the Indian Prime Minister's state visit to Moscow to meet Russian President Putin, Archbishop Nikon, a leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, called Lord Krishna an "evil demon, the personified power of hell opposing God", and "a livid lascivious youth". The Archbishop further requested the Mayor to ban construction of the proposed temple in Moscow, saying it would otherwise become "an idolatrous disgrace erected for the glory of wicked and malicious 'god' Krishna".

On 18th January, a coalition of Hindu organisations (including the Hindu Forum of Britain, Hindu Council UK, National Council of Hindu Temples UK, International Society for Krishna Consciousness, Vishwa Hindu Parishad UK, Hindu Council of Australia, Hindu American Foundation, Pandava Sena and many other worldwide Hindu organizations) will be launching a campaign in the British Parliament to persuade the Russian government to step in to stop this persecution and allow the temple to be built.

The campaign is being coordinated by the the Hindu Forum of Britain. Please lend the campaign your full support.

Web: www.hinduforum.org
E-mail:
Phone: 020 8965 0672

Page last updated 11 March, 2006 by Arjunanatha Dasa
© 2004 International Society for Krishna Consciousness
Founder-Acharya His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

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Defend Russian Hindus campaign launches in Parliament