Reclaiming the Swastika

British Hindus hope to reclaim the swastika — a good luck charm and the second-most sacred Hindu symbol — from its Nazi associations with public awareness workshops and a lobby effort to prevent a proposed Europe-wide ban on the symbol. “‘Just because at a particular moment in history one section of society used it, or a mirror image, to unleash xenophobic ideology does not mean Hindus should be punished,'” said a spokesman for Hindu Forum, Ramesh Kallidai. “‘It’s like saying the Ku Klux Klan burn crosses so therefore let’s ban the use of crosses worldwide.'”