PAROMITA DAS
After failing to differentiate between the Swastika and Adolf Hitler’s ‘Hakenkreuz,’ or hooked cross, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Indian-origin politician Jagmeet Singh sparked a new controversy.
A prominent Hindu organization in the United States has warned Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Indian-origin lawmaker Jagmeet Singh not to confuse the “Swastika,” an ancient and auspicious Hindu emblem, with the “Hakenkreuz,” a Nazi sign of hatred from the twentieth century.
“Swastikas and Confederate flags have no place in Canada,” New Democratic Party (NDP) leader Jagmeet Singh tweeted amid widespread opposition to Canada’s COVID-19 restrictions by hundreds of truck drivers.
Trudeau and Singh have both lately accused demonstrators of “waving Swastikas.”
The HinduPACT (Hindu Policy Research and Advocacy Collective) has responded by urging Trudeau and Singh not to confuse the “Swastika,” an ancient and auspicious symbol for Hindus, Buddhists, and many indigenous communities worldwide, with the “Hakenkreuz,” a Nazi symbol of hatred from the twentieth century.
Distinction between Swastika and Hakenkreuz?
The name swastika is derived from the Sanskrit roots su (good) and asti (to predominate), and it has been used in Rig Vedic chants to represent well-being, prosperity, or good fortune.
In Hindu philosophy, it is said to represent the four yugas, or cyclical seasons, the four ends or objectives of life, the four stages of existence, and the four Vedas. Swastika is even a girl’s name in some parts of India.
Swastikas are usually composed of flowers or written in red, yellow, or blue ink or paint.
As a result, it can be found in a number of temples and religious events all over the world, as well as in many South Asian houses as a welcoming symbol.
The “hakenkreuz,” on the other hand, is widely seen as a sign of anti-Semitism, as Nazi persecution resulted in the deaths of over 11 million Jews during the Holocaust, and it still evokes agony for many people today.
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