A Universal Symbol of Hate

Earlier this week, in its annual tally of hate crimes against the Jews, the Anti-Defamation League announced it would no long consider the swastika as a symbol of anti-Semitism. “The swastika has morphed into a universal symbol of hate,” explained Abraham Foxman, national direction of the ADL. “Today it’s used as an epithet against African-Americans, Hispanics and gays, as well as Jews, because it is a symbol which frightens.”

The swastika, despite its almost comical simplicity, is both chilling and provocative. With its sacred origins in Eastern and Dharmic religions as an ancient symbol of spiritual victory and human existence, it is horribly ironic that today most of us identify it as an emblem of hatred, violence and death. Adopted as a symbol of German nationalism, Adolf Hitler instilled a more sinister meaning, outlining in his Mein Kampf that “in the swastika (we see) the mission of the struggle for the victory of the Aryan man, and, by the same token, the victory of the idea of creative work, which as such always has been and always will be anti-Semitic.” Now, 65 years after the end of the Second World War, the swastika still retains all its potency, conjuring images of pain, terror and murder associated with the Holocaust. The swastika commands a very sudden and solemn acknowledgement of dangerous human hatred, and due to this bewitching quality, “the swastika is shorthand for every racist and bigot on the planet.”

The move by the ADL to classify the swastika as a “universal” symbol of hate will undoubtedly meet with a backlash. While the symbol continues to represent peaceful spirituality and existence for hundreds of millions of people outside of Western culture, proponents of “reclaiming” the swastika will hardly be impressed. The unsuccessful attempts to ban the swastika emblem in Europe met with fierce calls for the awareness and understanding of its alternative meanings, but due to the overwhelming effectiveness of the Nazis’ interpretation, a change in perceptions seems unlikely. As long as hatred will reside in the hearts of the ignorant and deluded, the perverted translation of the peaceful swastika will carry on with all its current vigour.

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