BY: HEMANTKUMAR G PADHYA
Ongoing campaign to ban the use of Swastika symbol in America, Europe, Great Britain and Israel has never stopped since after Second World War. There were Several attempts have been made by European Parliament to impose ban on the display of Swastika over the period and numerous campaigns were organised to oppose the Swastika symbols carved on buildings and public places built well before the rise of Hitler in German politics. American Government cunningly and cleverly forced the native Americans to sign the pact to disown their ancient symbol of Swastika but it could not eradicate the symbol of Swastika depicted on historic Government buildings including white house, Street light lamp posts and even court buildings and libraries and private properties all over America and Europe.
One again the peaceful symbol of Swastika is dragged into a controversy in America with headlines in the newspapers. The latest controversy is irrupted again at George Washington University at Washington D.C., America, when the president of the University, Mr Steven Knapp, banned the student from the University campus without any official hearing for displaying the sacred symbol of Swastika or Svastik or svastika on the bulletin board of the university on 16th March 2015. The victimised student studying Eastern Religions is no one else, but an enlightened young men from a Jewish community. He recently returned from India with a sacred religious symbol of eastern religions like Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, Taoism, Shintoism, Mithraism, early Zoroastrianism and many other branches and sects of those religions. The foresaid student may face permanent expulsion at forthcoming hearing at the penal appointed by the University President. It is a shocking, discriminating and unjust news that the president of a renowned educational institution is senseless and ignorant of the history of Swastika, who has given into the pressure of some ignorant students and Jewish Groups as alleged in news and taken such irresponsible and unwarranted decision to discredit and disgrace this illumined and enlightened Jewish student by imposing unjust and unnecessary ban on the Jewish student, who tried to put the history right and to educate the misinformed, misguided and illusion American students in the subject of Swastika symbol. At least, the president of the university had better sense to think why a student from a Jewish community, who were victims of Nazi Regime and suffered the most, would have ever posted Nazi Swastika on the board? Did not he bother to check information on Swastika on the website https://www.ushmm.org of U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and the website https://www.adl.org of Anti-Defamation League before taking such unprofessional decision?
It is great news that this innocent Jewish student who displayed Sacred Swastika symbol is now supported by Professor of Public Interest Law, Mr John Banzhaf, of George Washington University Law School. Professor John Banzhaf expressed his opinion and defended the rights of free speech and academic freedom of an individual and argued in the support of Sacred symbol of Swastika along with the legal issues related to the action in an excellent article titled ‘’ George Washington University About to Ban Religious Symbol From Campus’’ published on 16th April 2015 at https://www.valuewalk.com. It becomes a sincere duty of all those people who loves the ancient and Vedic Swastika to support this Jewish Student in his fight against his expulsion from the University and send a protest letter to the President of George Washington University at Washington D.C., America, It is a pleasant and welcoming news that very cordial relationship between Jewish and Hindu community in last ten years has created an atmosphere of mutual understanding on the subject of ancient Vedic symbol of Swastika and many Jewish organizations have clarified their reviewed view on their websites to enlighten and re-educate their members on the subject of the ancient symbol of Swastika.
The symbol of Swastika and name Swastika has been targeted, bombarded and attempted to be eradicated and destroyed by the political cruise missiles by western world including America and Europe and Great Britain since Second World War. Hitler and his Nazi Party hijacked the ancient symbol of Swastika for their dirty political ambitions and gains in 1920s and used Swastika Symbol extensively during second world war on the name of nationalism and white supremacy to persecute millions of innocent Jews and other ethnic minorities in Europe and to establish the power of white supremacy like British Empire all over the world. Swastika, Once world’s most famous and revered symbol of good luck, fortune and wellbeing since millennia, never had any negative connotation until the era of WWII. Swastika had the worst misfortune imposed upon it by Europeans, British, American and Jewish community, who suffered the most heinous atrocities in Second World War by the hand of Hitler and his Nazi regime. Unfortunately they all blamed a mere symbol of Swastika for the brutal atrocities committed by Hitler, his allied supporters and his Nazi army. They systematically started political propaganda warfare against the symbol of Swastika after WWII to punish, defame and tarnish its pristine reputation as a sign of benediction and to destroy its existence in revenge and wrath. They portrayed Swastika as a symbol of horror, cruelty, atrocity, barbarism and terror. They systematically and deliberately introduced anti-Swastika educational system to tarnish and punish the symbol of Swastika by holding it responsible for the war, atrocities and destruction happened during WWII. They left no limit in insulting, humiliating, spoiling and destroying the reputation of gentle, peaceful and sacred Swastika symbol which has been respected, revered and worshipped in Eastern and western wold too. They branded Swastika symbol as the symbol of evil, anti-Semitism, racism, white supremacy and discrimination, The hate mongering propaganda against the Symbol of Swastika by western world is still alive and is still ongoing even after three quarter of a century passed after WWII and death of Hitler and hi Nazi supporters.. So it is obvious that Swastika symbol still suffers tarnished reputation and hate in the mind of new generation of western world, born after WWII as they were kept aloof from the real meaning and glorious history and pristine status held by symbol of Swastika in ancient period and just before world war two all over the world. They continuously and actively tried to banish the Swastika from the western world. They cunningly carried anti-Swastika campaign and made household objects, souvenir, cards, cartoons and stories to insult and demonise the symbol of swastika. They succeeded in spreading psychological hate and disgust in the mind of new generation over the years. This is how the majority of European, American and British people and politicians tried to persecute and prosecute an innocent symbol of Swastika to take revenge for the atrocities of WWII which had nothing to do with Swastika or had any religious, cultural or social connection to Nazis or Hitler.
Hitler and his followers of Nazi ideology and common German people called their symbol Hakenkreuz in German meaning Hook Cross OR Winkelkreuz meaning Angled Cross or Krummkreuz meaning Crooked Cross but never ever called it by the name of Swastika. The Name Swastika was given by the western world and some people do not rule out the conspiracy of British Empire and their Christian agenda to defame the Aryan or Vedic religion. They used the term Swastika instead of the strait translation of the word Hakenkreuz which chiefly meant principal word Cross, the holy symbol of Christians. Swastika is an ancient word derives from Sanskrit language of Aryans which is the mother language of all Indo-European languages. Swastika means well-being, good luck and auspiciousness and word Arya or anglicised version Aryan means a noble or excellent person in characters, learnings, thoughts and deeds. The western world has mutilated, murdered and misrepresented the true meaning of Swastika and Arya words after Second World War and humiliated them by attaching them with Hitler and his Nazi Party and blamed them for the cruelty and atrocities inflicted to innocents during WWII. How could an auspicious symbol of Swastika with humble meaning and the word Arya or Aryan with noble and humble meaning have been demonised and imposed on the world with such negative notations? .
Swastika is believed to be the auspicious and mystical symbol of Love, Peace, good-luck, fortune, prosperity, progress, harmony and wellbeing. It is also a symbol of protection against bad and evil. Swastika is well known for its positive energy. Swastika is considered as sacred, auspicious, divine and holy by eastern religions of Vedic roots and all other religions and civilizations of the world. It is an idiotic, fanatic and illogical concept to hold the sacred symbol of Swastika responsible for what happened in WWII. Logically and legally speaking, no one can blame and hold a knife responsible for a horrific murder committed by a mad or fanatic person or persons. It was not Swastika’s fault that Hitler and his Nazi Party hijacked this Vedic Symbol of Aryas or Aryans and misused it for their political gains. How can anybody make an inanimate symbol responsible for those cruel acts committed by some mad human-beings? There were many symbols and flags with symbols were utilized in the bloody history of many wars in this world. The atrocities and cruelty inflicted during the despotic rules of British Empire all over the world including America under the flag of ‘’Union Jack’’, might be far worse and more heinous crimes committed than WWII. The brutal and barbaric Islamic invasion under the green flag with ‘’Star and Crescent’’ and Christian Crusades under the Christian cross, known as ‘’Crusader’s Cross’’ or ‘’Templar Cross’’ and ‘’Cross of Jesus’’ used in burning Blacks alive in America by KKK in last century are not a bit less barbaric and inhumane acts than WWII. Has ever any country, organization or politicians have ever thought or dared to punish, tarnish and ban those symbols of ‘’Union Jack’’, ‘’Crusader’s Cross’’, ‘’Templar Cross’’, ‘’Cross of Jesus’’ and ‘’Star and Crescent’’ whose participation could be the same as Swastika? Are we making them all other symbols responsible for the crime committed under their banner and agitate to ban them all? If not, no one has any moral, social or legal rights to agitate against Swastika or to impose ban on the Swastika. Apart from Swastika symbol, Hitler and Nazi regime widely utilized other symbols like ‘’Iron Cross’’ and ‘’Eagle’’ too. If the people of western world think Swastika is guilty, the ‘’Iron Cross’’ and ‘’Eagle’’ are also should be equally guilty and they all must be punished and banned. That means the Nazi Eagle like symbol adopted in 1782 by America in their national emblem must be withdrawn from the Great Seal of U.S.A and the ‘’Iron Cross’’ of Christianity should also be abolished and banned. It is a big injustice and discrimination to the Swastika if all those objectionable symbols are not banned.
Branding Swastika as a symbol of horror, terror, cruelty and barbarism and making it responsible for the crimes and cruelty inflicted on millions of innocent people is the big and grave error and mistakes committed by the western powers and Jewish community. They have forgotten that the symbol of Swastika was part of their lives and they all respected and revered this universal symbol. All the cultures, civilizations, races and religions have used this universal symbol on their places of their faith. Swastika is the most popular and the only religious symbol which is equally being used irrespective of colour, cast, creed, race, religion, nationality, culture and tradition of human race since thousands of years. You can’t wipe out the golden history of Swastika symbol if it is misused once by a fanatic madman. The European, British, Americans and Jews must come out of their ignorance and arrogance and accept the truth and facts of life as the world has changed since WWII. Hitler and Nazis have gone and almost forgotten and forgiven and we are now wining, dining, handshaking, hugging, meeting and dealing business with the siblings of Nazi Germans or Austrians. So, what are a big deal and a fuss about the symbol of Swastika? After the two failed attempts to ban Swastika in Europe by European Parliament in last decade, they should now realize that their further attempt to ban Swastika is not practical and logical and It would not be tolerated by the more than half of the population of the world who has a great respect, reverence and have a great faith in this sacred Vedic symbol. The sacred symbol of Swastika poses no threats and fear to any religion, culture, nation and race and it has no apparent anti-Semitic, racial or political hate message or agenda to convey as it is being a universal symbol of peace, prosperity, progress, friendship and wellbeing since several millennia. The western people and Jewish people and their community organizations must understand and introspect the issue of Swastika and they should come out of their blame game, hate, hypocrisy and hostility toward Swastika and come to the terms to call it a day for the good of the world once and for all and work toward the goal of reinstalling and re-establishing the Swastika as the universal symbol of the world with the great glory, dignity and honour which it has always gained since thousands of years. Persecuting and prosecuting the symbol of Swastika for the heinous crimes committed by Hitler and his Nazi army on innocent people is not a solution or a way forward to put stop to such holocaust happening in future and the western world and Jewish community should find better educational solution to the problem rather than spreading hate campaign against the ancient symbol of Swastika to ban. They must now sensibly understand that Swastika is not guilty for what happened during WWII.
Although, all Hindus, Jains, Buddhist, Sikh and all other people from eastern religions like Chinese, Japanese , Taiwanese, Koreans, Cambodians Vietnamese, Thais, Burmese, Mongolians etc. have a great pain and sympathy for the victims and their families of Holocaust and WWII, they have a great concern and sentiments for the dignity and pride of their religious symbol of Swastika from time to time as the controversy over the symbol erupts regularly. Everyone who loves the positive aspects of Swastika must protest and fight against any abuse, insults, towards Swastika and oppose the ban of Swastika symbol irrespective of their colour, cast, creed, race, ideology, nationality and religion. Any future attempt to impose ban on ancient Vedic Swastika symbol in public and private life and in sector of the educational, social and religious institution as well as public display must be opposed and challenged collectively, legally and peacefully and we have to work hard towards the goal of reclaiming the Swastika symbol.
ARISE! AWAKE! AND STOP NOT UNTIL POLITICAL AND ITTELECTUAL PERSECUTION OF SWASTIKA SYMBOL IS NOT STOPPED FOR EVER!
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