Dissident Veteran For Peace: BBC: "Me and my swastika"

Dissident Veteran For Peace

"I know of no country in which there is so little independence of mind and real freedom of discussion as in America." —Alexis de Tocquevile. Democracy in America, Book I, Chapter XV.

With a nod to the Most Rev. Dom Helder Camara: When I support Palestinians some call me an 'anti-Semite', when I try to explain why I stand in solidarity with Palestinians they call me a Nazi.

"WAR is a racket. It always has been. It is possibly the oldest, easily the most profitable, surely the most vicious. It is the only one international in scope. It is the only one in which the profits are reckoned in dollars and the losses in lives." —Major General Smedley Butler, USMC (ret.)

"... no one ever seizes power with the intention of relinquishing it. Power is not a means; it is an end." —character of O'Brien in 1984, part 3, ch. 3 by George Orwell.

"Every prophet has realized that nobody loves you for being the enemy of their illusions. Every prophet has realized that most of us want peace at any price as long as the peace is ours and somebody else pays the price. That is why the prophet Jeremiah said, ' "Peace, peace," they say, when there is no peace,' ..." —The Rev. William Sloane Coffin. "Not to Bring Peace, But a Sword."

Thursday, October 30, 2008

BBC: "Me and my swastika"

In January 2007, I first wrote about the swastika and my point of departure that time was a BBC article about efforts to ban the symbol in Europe. Below is an excerpt from a recent BBC article, "Me and my swastika".

For Hindu DJ Nerm, the swastika is a symbol of goodwill. Can he reclaim it from its indelible Nazi connotations - and how do people react to his swastika tattoo?

The swastika is perhaps the most vilified symbol in the world. It conjures up images of Nazi death camps and neo-fascists, and strikes fear into the hearts of those who "don't belong" - Blacks, Asians and anyone foreign.

And me? I have a swastika symbol tattooed on the inside of my lip. And I'm Asian. How could I do that? I'm of Indian origin and in my culture the swastika is a symbol of peace and goodwill. I only found out about Hitler's appropriation of it when I studied history at school. I was astounded.

While DJing on tour in Los Angeles in 2000, I decided I would reclaim the swastika for my culture with a tattoo on the inside of my lip. The tattooist was taken aback that I would want a "Nazi logo" on my body until I explained its true meaning.

But the tattoo has faded over time. To get it redone, I visit Naresh, a tattoo artist in Kentish Town. He is mixed race with an Indian parent, and knows the symbol well, having tattooed several Indian swastikas in his time.

When people see my retouched tattoo - even good friends - they reel. I find myself repeatedly explaining what the swastika means to me and my cultural heritage, and that the symbol had been one of peace and positivity for thousands of years before Hitler stole it.

Labels: critical thinking, identity, religion, swastika

# posted by VFPDissident @ 10/30/2008 12:29:00 PM

Comments:

The Star of David is also an ancient Hindu symbol. It stands for the heart chakra, the meeting of the higher and lower selves.

Zionists adopted the Hindu symbol. Before Zionism, synagogues did not use a six-pointed star to symbolize Judaism. The real symbols are either the two scrolls, representing the ten commandments, or the menorah.

# posted by

Anonymous : Tuesday, November 11, 2008 12:22:00 PM

You say the "real symbols" of Judaism are "the two scrolls ... or the menorah." The implication, apparently, being that these are original to Judaism. There is reason to believe that the menorah is derived from Zoroastrianism. See e.g. http://www.cais-soas.com/CAIS/Religions/non-iranian/judaism/persian_judaism/book2/pt1.htm#Temple%20Paraphernalia or http://tinyurl.com/6mxd55

# posted by