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Russian court rejects proposed ban of Hindu text central to the global Hare Krishna movement

MOSCOW (AP).- A Russian court decided Wednesday not to ban a religious text central to the global Hare Krishna movement, rejecting claims that the text is “extremist” and ending a case that has angered Hindus around the world. Prosecutors in the Siberian city of Tomsk had argued that the Russian translation of “Bhagavad Gita As It Is” promotes “social discord” and hatred toward nonbelievers, causing an outcry in India, where many considered the proposed ban a violation of the rights of Hindus in Russia. The text is a combination of the Bhagavad Gita, one of Hinduism’s holiest scriptures, and