As Hindus in the D.C. area and worldwide celebrate the five-day holiday Diwali, they want to bring back their sacred symbol: the swastika.
Niti Srivastava, executive director of the Indian Cultural Association of Howard County, described the swastika as a sacred symbol of divinity that was misappropriated by Nazi Germany.
“There are about 1.8 billion people worldwide (who) believe that swastika is a holy symbol,” Srivastava said. “It is over 10,000 years old and it is a symbol of peace and well-being, and Diwali signifies the victory of knowledge over darkness.”
It’s not unusual to see the swastika during the holy festival Diwali, as Srivastava said: “You will see the symbol in every Hindu home.”
The symbol was predominantly a religious one until 20th century Nazis in Germany took the religious image and transformed it into a highly political antisemitic tool.
Given the infamy of the image, which can no longer be displayed in some countries and is often deemed a hate symbol in the United States, Hindus have kept their sacred symbol in the shadows. Srivastava said there’s a desire to reclaim the symbol for its original purpose: peace and prosperity.
“For Hindus, this is a very meaningful and a very sacred symbol. And it’s not something that can be easily switched out with something else to replace it. It has a much deeper connection and it is a religious symbol,” she said.
Srivastava also said people should remember Hindus are also in the fight against racism and bigotry.
“Hindus have provided shelters to persecuted communities, including Jews, Parsis, Christians, Buddhists and others,” she said. “I hope when people see the sign, they realize that it is not the symbol of hatred and Hindus don’t intend to mean ill toward anybody. … It is a symbol of peace.”
On Saturday, practicing Hindus will continue their Diwali celebrations, heralding the start of a new year in the Hindu calendar on the biggest day of the five-day festival.
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