Last night at the midweek meeting was a part titled "pray for those in Prison" or something like that.
They showed a video all about the witnesses in Russia and the court battles they've been fighting of late and the hard time they have been having because of it all.
The first thing that struck me, hey, why don't you a** holes in Brooklyn send these poor sods a few rubles to help them along?
Nah! Prayer is what they need.
Anyway, I hadn't really followed the story so I thought I would look it up this morning and see what was in the media about the story.
On the NPR website they had a big write up about it back in May of last year...
http://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2016/05/17/476898973/russias-jehovahs-witnesses-fight-extremist-label-possible-ban
So it appears that the JWs are an extremist group!
Of course the banter at the hall is how ridiculous that is etc.
But look at how the Russians have defines extremist...
The Russian Constitution guarantees basic human rights, including
freedom of speech, expression, and association. At the same time, it
prohibits public associations that are aimed at forcibly changing the
fundamental principles of the constitutional system and violating the
integrity of the Russian Federation; undermining its security; setting
up armed units; and instigating social, racial, national, and religious
strife.[1]
Also, propaganda promoting social, racial, national, or religious
enmity or the instigation of such enmity, as well as propaganda
promoting social, racial, national, religious or linguistic supremacy,[2] are prohibited.
https://www.loc.gov/law/help/fighting-extremism/russia.php
So by Russian standards the JWs are indeed a "extremist group"
As was quoted in the NPR story...
"In their literature, there are some very harsh statements and very
insulting statements about other faiths," says Alexander Dvorkin, a
former Russian Orthodox priest who now teaches the history of religion
and cult studies at St. Tikhon University
in Moscow. "Of course, every religion has the right to criticize other
faiths, but that should be done in a non-insulting manner, especially if
you are talking about the faith of the majority."
Pretty hard to deny that!
At the end of the day I think it really comes down to money.
If they don't have official recognition in Russia no property, no Kingdom Halls etc. I believe they could still practice their faith but that's not good enough.
The thing I haven't figured out is why only one community of Jehovah's witnesses seem to be involved.
Banned Materials and Organizations
Materials added to the list are usually categorized as the following:
racist, xenophobic and anti-Semitic materials; materials of Jehovah’s
Witnesses; materials of North Caucasus separatists and other radical
Islamists; materials of the Church of Scientology; and materials of
different Muslim groups, generally not related to officially recognized
Islamic organizations.[57] In addition, thirty-four organizations appear on the list as banned or liquidated for extremist activities.[58]
Most of the banned organizations are Russian patriotic and religious
organizations propagating racist and xenophobic ideas, seven Muslim
groups, and one religious community of Jehovah’s Witnesses.
