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Written by Yasomatinandana das Thursday, 13 October 2005

HH Bhakti Vijnana Goswami,The President of Russian Society for Krishna

consciousness (ISKCON) Sanjeet Jha,The Chairman of the Association of Indians

in Russia Dear friend! This an urgent request for help and support in a

situation where Hindu dharma in Moscow is now at stake!Without warning, on

October 7, 2005 the Mayor of Moscow, Mr. Luzhkov arbitrarily withdrew the

decision of the Moscow Government allocating land for construction of the Vedic

Temple in Moscow. Further, he issued an order of eviction to remove the devotees

from the land, with no alternative offered. Please click here to read about the

details! Contact us (click here!)

“Wherever there is Krishna, the master of all mystics, and wherever there is

Arjuna, the supreme archer, there will also certainly be opulence, victory,

extraordinary power, and morality”. Bhagavad-gita 18.78 A.C. Bhaktivedanta

Swami Prabhupada came to the West in 1965 on the order of his spiritual master

to preach Hindu Dharma far and wide In 12 years he established 108 temples all

over the world and made millions of people know about the glories of

Bhagavad-gita! Moscow, the capital of Russia has been one of the most

important cities of the world. Srila Prabhupada came to Moscow to preach in

1971 taking risk of being persecuted by the KGB Thus the

ancient Vedic culture began to spread in the former Soviet Union. Devotees of

Krishna were harrased by the KGB… …but even in prison houses they would make

the beads out of some cloth and chant the sacred Hare Krishna maha-mantra

After an international protest campaign in 1988 in the followers of Vedic

dharma in Russia got official recognizion In 1991 they got an old building from

the Government… … which they turned into a nice temple of the Lord Presided

by the Deities of Sri Sri Doyal-Nitai Saci-Suta… The temple became a place

of

worship of both Russian devotees… …and the members of the Indian community in

Moscow In 2003 the Moscow Government requested ISKCON to vacate their

building. In exchange the Mayor's office gave a plot of land… …for the

construction of a new temple complex in a prominent part of the city. The old

building was immediately demolished. Since October 2003 the temple

activities have been conducted in a temporary facility on the gifted land… …

with the expectation of planning approval for a new and wonderful mandir and

Vedic cultural center. On the site there was constructed a big pandal which

in Summer time housed up to 1000 people Some snapshots. Chanting in ecstasy…

Prasadam.... Abhisheka… Meeting with Ex-Prime Minister of India Mr. Atal

Bihari Vajpayee Meeting with President of Russia Vladimir Putin Without

warning, on October 7, 2005 the Mayor of Moscow, Mr. Luzhkov arbitrarily

withdrew the decision of the Moscow Government on the excuse of some technical

mistakes made in the wording of the deed of gift. Further, he issued an order

of eviction to remove the devotees from the land, with no alternative offered.

This was done without any consultation or even clarification. Now thousands of

followers of Hinduism in Moscow can be legally kicked out

from the temporary facilities at any moment.Please visit the Moscow Temple on

the site www.moscowtemple.org to view the details of this acute situation. Now

after thorough consultations with some of Moscow's most experienced lawyers we

are going to file a case against the MoscowGovernment and take it up to the

European Court.Here is how you can help save the practice of Hindu dharma in

one of the world's most important cities: 1) Write a letter of protest to the

President of Russia, Mr. Putin. This can easily be done from his official site:

http://www.kremlin.ru/eng/articles/send_letter_Eng1a.shtml [NOTE: see bottom of

this text for a sample protest letter] 2) Provide some urgently needed financial

help by donating on-line (please click here)We need to raise $50,000 to pay the

legal expenses in the upcoming court case and even small help from many

supporters will make a big difference in providing victory! Please join us in

this rightful fight for the protection of Hindu dharma in Moscow. Together with

the blessings of the Lord we shall definitely win! Having full faith in your

support, Sincerely yours, Sanjeet Jha, Chairman of the Association of Indians

in Russia,Bhakti Vijnana Goswami, President of the Russian Society for Krishna

consciousness SAMPLE LETTER TO PRESIDENT PUTIN [This is one sample; you can

change few

words or write your own heartfelt feelings about this sudden and arbitrary

reversal of the Moscow administration's decision] Dear Mr. Putin, I was very

upset to learn that the land in Moscow given for the construction of the new

Vedic Hare Krishna temple has recently been taken away in an unfair and

unprecedented arbitrary decision by the Moscow government.If this unrighteous

decision is upheld thousands of members of the Indian community and the

followers of Hare Krishna in Moscow will have no place of worship. This is a

gross violation of their religious and human rights.I hereby request you as the

person who is entrusted to protect the law and order in the country of Russia to

please urgently investigate the situation and reestablish justice. Sincerely,

Visit/forward this Link www.defendrussianhindus.org

A timeline of discimination against Hindu minorities in Russia 1970:

The late Swami Prabhupada, Founder of ISKCON travels to Russia - then the

worldwide seat of Communism, in 1971. At that time, all religious activity was

banned under the Communist system. Despite this, Hinduism began to “sprout

underground” as hundreds of Soviet people began to hear the about it incognito

1980 – 83: The KGB declare a “war” on Russian Hindus. As hundreds of

Russians started becoming vegetarian, giving up cigarettes and alcohol, and

taking up meditation, the KGB declared The International Society For Krishna

Consciousness “one of the greatest threats to the Soviet nation” in 1980, and

started a “war” on Hinduism in Russia. 1983 – 87: Consequently, hundreds

of Russian Hindus were thrown into prisons, labour camps and psychiatric

hospitals and underwent tremendous suffering and torture at the hands of people

who were intent on

breaking their unflinching faith in Lord Krishna and His words in Bhagavad Gita.

Many Russian Hindus died in prison, holding onto their faith, through

mistreatment, torture, malnourishment and starvation 1988: A worldwide

campaign of protest was started against the religious persecution in the USSR,

including massive protests and even songs written and released to highlight the

terrible situation. Al Soviet Hare Krishna devotees in prison were released by

Mr. M. Gorbachev. Spiritually starved Russians took up Hinduism in large

numbers 1988,May 20: The Moscow Society for Krishna Consciousness (MOSK)

is officially registered by the Council for Religious Affairs of the USSR.

1989, March The first group of Soviet pilgrims was received by the

Prime-minister of India, R. Gandhi. 1990: Responding to the devotees’

requests, Moscow authorities allot a dilapidated two-storey building for their

temple. After themselves renovating the building, Moscow devotees open the

first Hindu temple in the history of Russia and USSR. 1991: The Moscow

Society for Krishna Consciousness applies for a plot of land for the

construction of an authentic Vedic temple and cultural center in Moscow. The

application is approved and research for a suitable location is begun.

1994: The Bishops’ Council of Russian Orthodox Church made a statement in

which the teachings of Bhagavad Gita were referred to as a “false religion”,

and all other religions were described as a threat to the unity of national

consciousness and cultural identity, and incompatible with Christianity .The

pre-revolutionary hostile model of the Church to other religions with state as

a closest ally was re-surfacing after the communist regime fell down Moscow

government allots a plot of land in Michurin pr. The allotment is approved by

all authorities, but rejected by the Mayor without explanation the reasons.

1997: A bill recognised passed by the Russian Parliament (Duma) recognises the

Russian Orthodox Church as the pre-eminent religion of the Soviet Union, and

acknowledges only three other ‘traditional’ Russian faiths: Judaism, Islam and

Buddhism.All other faiths would face strict curbs on their legal rights,

missionary work and educational activities 1998: Vladmir Zhirinovsky, a

member of the Russian parliament was

quoted as saying “we should allow only Orthodoxy 1991-1999: The temple

also becomes the only place of worship for over 10.000 Indians as well as

numerous Hindus from other countries residing in Moscow. Through the 90s,

Hinduism in Russia started to flourish, resulting in 97 registered “Hindu

communities”, 22 monasteries, and 250 home groups. The temple conducts

samskaras (purificatory religious rites) for their families, hold regular

traditional festivals like Janmastami, Ramnavami, Holy, Divali and Dussera, and

invite renowned Indian cultural figures like Pandit Jasraj, Hema Malini, Jagjit

Singh and Anup

Jalota. The temple has been on numerous occasions visited by many Indian

governmental officials, including Ambassadors of India, Chief Ministers of

Delhi and states, Cabinet Ministers, the Speaker of Lok Sabha and Parliamentary

delegations of both Houses. 2000, August: President of Russian Society of

KC V. Touneev meets with the Prime-minister of India A.B.Vajpayee and tells him

about the activities of the ISKCON and Russian Hindus. 2001-2002: The

Government of Moscow comes up with a reconstruction plan for area surrounding

the temple, thus threatening the temple with demolition 2001:

Prime-minister of India A.B.Vajpayee meets with the delegation of MOSK first in

Delhi and then in Moscow during his visit and discusses the plans of the Temple

construction. 2002,February: MOSK requests Moscow government to buy out

the building where the temple is located. The request is rejected.

2002,November: Chief Minister of Delhi Smt. Sheila Dixit brings up the issue

of preserving or relocating the temple with the Mayor of Moscow Mr.Luzhkov on

her official visit to Moscow. 2003, April 16: The Public council by the

Mayor of Moscow passes a unanimous decision to allot 2.5 acres of land at

Leningradsky prospect for the construction of the Vedic cultural center by

ISKCON. Plans for demolition of the old temple are approved by the Moscow

Government. 2003, August – September: Upon the request of Moscow

government the District office prepares the draft of the Order to allocate the

land to MOSK. 2003,September 16: Speaker of Lok Sabha and the delegation

of the Parliament of India visits the temple and unanimously supports the temple

project. 2003,November: Prime-minister of India A.B.Vajpayee during his

visit to Moscow meets with the delegation of MOSK and tells about the achieved

agreement. January 20,2004: The Mayor of Moscow signs the order for the

title transfer for the land. The land is given to ISKCON with the purpose of

developing the temple design and having it approved by the City Planning

Committee. May, 2004: Design for the new Vedic cultural center is

developed by a leading ISKCON architect and submitted to the planning committee

of Moscow for approval. June 18,2004: The old temple building is

demolished. The temple is relocated to the new property into a makeshift

building. Despite limited conditions, lack of water supply and sewage systems,

temple functions and public access continue unabated. 2004: The

Inter-religious Council of Russia opposed the construction of a large Hindu

temple in Moscow, as it does not conform with the historical and cultural

tradition of the Russian capital March 2004: At a large protest march in

2004, Russian Orthodox Churches told authorities to stop a free food programme

because the food apparently contained ‘cow dung and urine. Continued

misinformation resulted in many Hindu men and women being violently beaten and

some even hospitalised 2004-5: Several versions of temple design were

submitted to the Planning Committee and rejected under

different pretexts. 2004-5: MOSK connects the land with different

facilities, water pipes and sewage. May, 2005: City Planning Committee

finally approves the preliminary design of the future temple. Works on the land

like soil testing, etc. are started. June - September,2005: Draft of the

renewal of the Mayor’s order is being circulated in the Mayor’s Office.

2005,August 27: More than 6 thousand people, mostly Indians come to the new

premises to celebrate Janmastami festival. The festival is visited by the

Ambassadors of Nepal, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, and Director of the J. Nehru

Cultural center. 2005,October 7: The Mayor of Moscow cancels the order

for the title transfer. Official explanation is some technical mistake in the

initial Order for the allotment of the land. 2005,October 31: Archbishop

Nikon of Ufa from the Russian Orthodox Church writes to the Mayor of Moscow

Yuri Luzhkov asking him not to allow a Hindu temple to be built in Moscow

because according to him, “Lord Krishna is

an evil demon, the personified power of hell, opposing God.” His comments gave

rise to worldwide outrage and condemnation from the Hindu community2005,

October – November – All the attempts to meet with the Mayor of Moscow or his

representatives do not bear any fruit. Land Committee issues the decree to

leave the premises within three months time. 2005,7 December: During his

visit to Russia, the Indian Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, raised the issue

with the Russian President, Vladimir Putin. December 2005: Following the

comments made by the Archbishop Nikon, the Hindu Forum of Britain started a

campaign that resulted in thousands of email messages being sent to the Mayor

of Moscow, President Putin, and the Russian Orthodox Church by people from all

over the world. 2006,January 14: Mayor of London Ken Livingstone hands

letter of protest from the Hindu Forum of Britain to the Mayor of Moscow Yuri

Luzhkov asking for harassment against Russian Hindus to stop 2006,January

18: Defend Russian Hindus Campaign launched at the House of Commons by British

Parliamentarians from all parties with the support of Hindu Forum of Britain,

National Council of Hindu Temples, Hindu Council UK, Hindu Council of

Australia, Hindu American Foundation, Hindu Conference of Canada and Vishwa

Hindu Parishad. Members of Parliament and faith communities adopt a resolution

condemning the harassment of Russian Hindus. 2006,January 23: British

Parliament adopts Early Day Motion supported by over 45 MPs from all parties

asking for harassment of Russian Hindus to stop, expressing regret over the

cancelling of the land order and offering support to the Defend Russian Hindus

Campaign 2006,January 25: British Minister for Europe, Douglas Alexander

MP confirms on the floor of the House of Commons that Britain will discuss the

harassment of Russian Hindus with Russia and the EU.

--------------------------

Supporting organisations of the campaign... The

Hindu Forum of Britain (HFB) The National Council of Hindu Temples UK (NCHT)

Hindu Council UK (HCUK) BAPS Swaminarayan Hindu Mission Vishwa Hindu

Parishad UK Hindu Council of Australia Hindu American Foundation The

International Society For Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) Hindu Conference Of

Canada

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Please Visit/Support/forward http://www.defendrussianhindus.org

http://www.moscowtemple.org http://veda.ru \ Proud to be a Hindu

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