White supremacists, neo-Nazi groups and vandals have continued to use Hitler’s symbol to stoke fear and hate. Over the past decade, as the Asian diaspora has grown in North America, the call to reclaim the swastika as a sacred symbol has become louder. Deo believes she and people of other faiths should not have to sacrifice or apologize for a sacred symbol simply because it is often conflated with its tainted version. “I recognize the swastika as a symbol of hate.”New York-based Steven Heller, a design historian and author of “Swastika: Symbol Beyond Redemption?”, said the swastika is “a charged symbol for so many whose loved ones were criminally and brutally murdered.” Heller’s great-grandfather perished during the Holocaust. The swastika also was a Native American symbol used by many southwestern tribes, particularly the Navajo and Hopi.

Source: The Nation November 27, 2022 21:10 UTC