This is starting to get pretty funny. The modern West is turning into a nuthouse. Can you imagine it? Hindus will soon begin an educational lobbying effort, sending swastikas all over the place, trying to wrest them from Jewish dictate. And Jews will start hysterically complaining about the growing visibility of the Nazi symbol that now connotes "unique" Jewish victimology. It will be a classical conflict in the West's great Culture War as these two minorities struggle to control contrasting identity markers -- but warring over the connotations of the very same symbol. Who owns what a swastika means? Who owns what ANYTHING means? Usually Jews, thanks to their intensity, tribal networking, and money. This will be an interesting struggle to watch, but the Hindus can't possibly win against the entrenched Jewish Lobby. Jewish control of the swastika is just too valuable to let go freely back into the world of ideas. Will Hindu love of the swastika be twisted by Jewish obsession into some form of perverse "anti-Semitism?"]
'Hey! This is no Nazi symbol',
The Times of India, January 21, 2005
"More Hindu voices have been added to the campaign against a ban on the swastika symbol in Europe after Prince Harry recently displayed it during a fancy dress party. Upset leaders of Britain's Hindu community announced a campaign on Thursday to "redeem" the swastika symbol from its Nazi association and reclaim it as Hinduism's ancient symbol of life and fortune. Due to the wrong use of the 5,000-year-old symbol by the Nazis, it became associated with anti-Semitism, hate, violence, death and murder. Ramesh Kallidai of the Hindu Forum is planning pro-swastika awareness workshops for every region of Britain with a large seminar to be held in London. Every MP will be lobbied by e-mail and an information booklet will be distributed to faith communities and others.
Kallidai told the media: "A symbol we have used for more than 5,000 years is now on the verge of being banned because of association with the Nazis over which we had no control. "Hindus wish to continue to use this symbol as part of their religion, but they risk being labelled Nazis or, in the case of a ban, risk breaking the law. We need to educate people about the historical context of the symbol, its wrong use by the Nazis and its importance to Hindus." He said it was ironic that a symbol depicting the wheel of life and good fortune had become a symbol of racism, torture and war." |
