Nevada leader to give first Hindu prayer in Oklahoma Senate, joining rabbi and ministers

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – A spiritual leader from Nevada will deliver the first Hindu prayer in the Oklahoma Senate, part of an interfaith movement in a Legislature in the Bible Belt that has faced criticism for its lack of religious diversity.
Universal Society of Hinduism President Rajan Zed will visit Oklahoma on Monday as part of his effort to pray before lawmakers in state Capitols across the U.S. He is the guest of state Sen. Stephanie Bice, who also has invited a local rabbi and ministers from different Christian churches to pray before the body.
Zed already has visited legislative chambers in more than a dozen states. His arrival in Oklahoma comes as Republican House leaders have faced pointed criticism from the interfaith community over a lack of inclusive representation of other faiths.