In New Delhi, Giriraj Kishore, general secretary of the VHP slammed the move saying the ban could be devastating to the sentiments of the Hindus who have accepted and respected all religious symbols in their homeland. Kishore said any disrespect to the Swastik, a 5000-year-old emblem finding mention in the most ancient scriptures, could evoke a backlash against the Christian community, increasingly being suspected by India's radicals as being leading a silent conversion campaign.
27/01/2005 New Delhi, Jan 27 : Hindu radicals have reacted strongly to a call by European parliamentarians for a Europe-wide ban on Nazi insignia, a symbol of good luck and prosperity for Hindus and part of all that is auspicious from marriages to starting of new businesses. The ban was proposed after Britain's prince Harry provoked international outrage by wearing a Swastika armband and Nazi costume at a party. The pictures, beamed worldwide, prompted deputies in the European parliament to call for a ban on Nazi insignia, an idea that the European Commission said was worth considering. In New Delhi, Giriraj Kishore, general secretary of the VHP slammed the move saying the ban could be devastating to the sentiments of the Hindus who have accepted and respected all religious symbols in their homeland. Kishore said any disrespect to the Swastik, a 5000-year-old emblem finding mention in the most ancient scriptures, could evoke a backlash against the Christian community, increasingly being suspected by India's radicals as being leading a silent conversion campaign. "In reality, the religious symbol is sacred. Some people misuse it. It is improper if one were to ban it because of one person's misrepresentation. If one has to be banned at all, then the cross will have to be banned first," Kishore said in New Delhi. To the millions who suffered in World War-Two, the Swastika is a loathed emblem of hatred, racism and xenophobia. But, to Hindus, it is a revered symbol, derived from the Sanskrit "Svastika" meaning "Good to be." Swastikas are often seen in London's antique shops and market stalls. The seven lakh Hindus in multi-cultural Britain meanwhile have launched a campaign to "reclaim" the swastika from its Nazi past. "A Europe-wide ban would of course affect British Hindus quite a bit, because we use it in our houses, we have it on the doorways, we have it in ceremonies, you know, in weddings. We even paint swastikas on babies after they have their hair tonsuring ceremony, the first hair cut. Swastikas are used as pendants. And all of this is used purely to express devotion to God. It has nothing to do with xenophobia and hatred," he said Ramesh Kallidai, secretary-general of the Hindu Forum in London. http://news.newkerala.com/india-news/index.php?action=fullnews&id=65684 __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Give underprivileged students the materials they need to learn. Bring education to life by funding a specific classroom project. http://us.click.yahoo.com/FHLuJD/_WnJAA/cUmLAA/TySplB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: osint@yahoogroups.com Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. OSINT, as a part of The Intelligence Network, is making it available without profit to OSINT YahooGroups members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods, techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
