Local religious leaders and organisations have slammed a Russian court for comparing the Bhagavad Gita, one of the holiest Hindu scriptures, to Adolf Hitler’s controversial Mein Kampf.
The Nazi dictator wrote Mein Kampf while he was in Landsberg prison in Germany in 1925. The book contains Hitler’s anti-Semitic views.
State prosecutors in Tomsk, Siberia, seek to ban the Russian translation of the Bhagavad Gita, contending that it is an extremist religious text that should be on a blacklist.
The call, which has been linked to a Christian extremist group, claims the book spreads “social discord” and wants its distribution in Russia to be rendered illegal.
The Russian ambassador to India, Alexander Kadakin, said: “I consider it categorically inadmissible when any holy scripture is taken to the courts. For all believers, these texts are sacred.”
He said Russia was a secular and democratic country where all religions enjoyed equal respect.
Protests
Kadakin made the statement after Indian lawmakers forced an adjournment of Parliament over the issue and Hindus staged protests outside the Russian consulate in Kolkata city on Monday.
The Siberian court is expected to deliver its verdict on December 28.
The president of the SA Hindu Maha Sabha, Ashwin Trikamjee, said he had signed an international online petition protesting against the “crazy suggestion”.
Trikamjee said: “There is no logical basis to this call; it is an anti-Hindu sentiment. The Bhagavad Gita is a holy scripture and no one is forced to read it. This call is unacceptable and we have already mobilised locally and sent a letter to the Russian authorities expressing our concern.
“In this day and age, there should be no place for such religious intolerance. In fact, this is one of the the most powerful pieces of literature.“
He said the Maha Sabha would be monitoring the situation very closely.
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (Iskcon) and its followers in Russia have also written a letter to the prime minister’s office in New Delhi calling for immediate intervention.
The Russian court referred the book to the Tomsk State University for an” expert” examination on October 25.
But Hindu groups in Russia say the university was not qualified as it lacked scholars who study the history and cultures, languages and literature of the Indian subcontinent.
Durban Iskcon spokeswoman Champakalata Dasi said they were also strongly supporting their Russian counterparts through the online petition.
“We have also called on our local devotees to use our Sunday service to pray for an end to this religious intolerance.We disagree that the book spreads social discord or that it contains derogatory statements about other faiths.” - Daily News