A Moscow regional court upheld a lower court’s decision to ban books on Scientology, considering them as an extremist literature.

      According to the court's official ruling: Hubbard’s books on Scientology "seek to form an isolated social group whose members are trained to perform their functions generally aimed against the rest of the world”. There are also humiliating comments and negative attitude towards some social groups and appeals for extremist activity, in the court's opinion.

      The Moscow local court in Shchyolkovo in Moscow region first banned Hubbard’s books last June. Now that decision is upheld, so all the books on Scientology will be included in the list of extremist literature and forbidden for distribution on the whole Russian territory.

       Scientology, founded by Hubbard in the U.S. in the early 1950s, is one of the most controversial religious movements of the past century and is often described as a cult. It has local branches in almost all corners of the world. The strongest support of the group is in Hollywood, and its adherents include actors are John Travolta and Tom Cruise.

      However, many countries try to distance themselves from Scientology. France has recognized it as a totalitarian sect and Germany has branded Scientology as unconstitutional. But Russia is still the only country to find extremism in Ron Habbard's books.

      Earlier on Wednesday, a court in Tomsk, Siberia, turned down a prosecutor's appeal to classify as extremist a Russian translation of Bhagavad Gita As It Is, a commentary on a Hindu philosophy book. 

Sources: regions.ru rbc.ru Image: news.rin.ru