New York, July 24, 2020: A leading Hindu group in the United States wants school children in New York taught the correct meaning of Swastika, India’s ancient auspicious symbol.
The American Hindus Against Defamation (AHAD), an initiative of World Hindu Council of America, says that many in the world view Swastika as a symbols of hatred and intolerance after the Nazis of Germany abused it as emblem to commit heinous crimes against humanity, particularly the Jewish people.
The group made the appeal in the wake of Senator Todd Kaminsky sponsoring a New York State Senate Bill requiring instruction regarding symbols of hate to be incorporated into the curricula for grades six through twelve.
The AHAD fears that the bill will perpetuate ignorance about Swastika and promote Hindu phobia in schools across New York state. AHAD convener Ajay Shah says his group pledges to work with other Hindu organizations ensure that the legislation is modified to remove the references to Swastika.
American Jewish Committee (AJC) working with the Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s US unit and other Hindu organizations in Washington, DC, has produced a brochure titled, “Understanding Swastika, Use and Abuse of a sacred symbol.”
The AJC brochure quotes from Declaration of the Second Hindu-Jewish Leadership Summit, held in February 2008, Jerusalem. It says, “The Svastika is an ancient and greatly auspicious symbol of the Hindu tradition. It is inscribed on Hindu temples, ritual altars, entrances, and even account books.
The AHAD says the Third Reich in Germany spread a “distorted version of this sacred symbol” and abused it.
The participants of the Hindu-Jewish Leadership Summit recognized that the symbol Swastika has been sacred to Hindus for millennia, long before its misappropriation.
“We believe that this brochure in itself is sufficient to remove Swastika from the purported purpose of this legislation.” Swastika is considered one of the most sacred symbols by religious traditions that evolved in India (dharmic traditions), including Hindu, Jain, Buddhist and Sikh faiths. The history of the Swastika is more than 10,000 years old. It has appeared in several civilizations all throughout the world — from Greece and Rome to the Druids and Celts.
Today, the Swastika is an integral part of many cultures including India and East Asian cultures that adhere to Buddhism. It has regularly been donned on Hindu homes, businesses, temples, and other objects. Hindu families gather round to place it in front of their homes for good luck and protection.
“Unfortunately, 10,000 years of a symbol of wellbeing was desecrated by the monstrous regime of Nazi Germany, in the first half of the 20th century. Hitler perverted a symbol of goodness to fuel his agenda of hate,” AHAD statement bemoans.
Source: theunn.com