March 20, 2025
TORONTO – Organizations representing Buddhist, Hindu and Jain Canadians have endorsed B’nai Brith Canada’s recent call for the Federal Government to ban the public display of Nazi symbols, including the Nazi hooked cross (Hakenkreuz).
“These faiths’ sacred symbol (the Swastika) has been wrongfully associated with the Nazi Reich,” said Richard Robertson, B’nai Brith Canada’s Director of Research and Advocacy. “We must not allow the continued conflation of this symbol of peace with an icon of hate.”
Swastika is an ancient Sanskrit word for “good fortune” or “well-being.” The symbol is sacred to Buddhists, Hindus and Jains, as well as other faiths. It has adorned homes, temples and shrines for millennia. The word Swastika is also used in certain prayers and chants, or even as a birth name.
In the 1920s, the Nazis adopted the Hakenkreuz to represent their movement. In September 1935, the Nazi Party officially adopted an emblem containing the Hakenkreuz as the imperial and national flag of the Third Reich. This symbol contains features that render it distinct from the sacred Swastika and has become synonymous with hate and bigotry. Unfortunately, the Hakenkreuz and Swastika have been unduly conflated in the West for decades.
“It is a historical injustice that the meaning of the Swastika has been wrongfully maligned by reference to the Nazis,” Robertson said after in-depth discussions with representatives of the Buddhist, Hindu and Jain communities, as well as historians. “With our petition, B’nai Brith Canada aims not only to protect vulnerable communities from hate, but also to help the public differentiate between the sacred Swastika and vile Nazi iconography.”
Ragini Sharma, President of the Canadian Organization for Hindu Heritage Education (COHHE), affirmed the Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain communities’ solidarity with the Jewish people.
“[The campaign] confirms our faith in Satyamave Jayate – Truth will Win,” she said. “Hindus and Jews have a centuries old foundation of friendship and allyship that continues today. This concrete step to delink our sacred Swastika from the Nazi Hate Symbol, the Hakenkreuz, greatly strengthens the bonds of our friendship.”
Rishabh Sarswat, President of the Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA) Canada, called the effort to prohibit the public display of Nazi iconography a “historic moment” for Hindus, Buddhists, Jews and Jains.
“CoHNA Canada stands firmly against all forms of hate,” he said. “With Antisemitism at an all-time high in Canada and Hinduphobia escalating at an alarming rate, now is the time for Hindus and Jews—natural allies—to unite, stand strong, and push back against this rising tide of hate.”
Vijay Jain, President of Vishwa Jain Sangathan Canada noted that the word Swastika carries significance in Jain and Hindu religious scripture and daily rituals.
“With community advocacy and education efforts, we will surely be able to disassociate [the word Swastika] from the Nazis,” he said. “We were successful in the context of a Peel Police website. Similar changes have been made to legislation in Australia’s state of Victoria. With B’nai Brith Canada’s campaign, we will surely be able to bring awareness to Canadian communities about the sacred nature of the Swastika while banning Nazi symbols of hate, such as the Nazi Hakenkreuz.”
Several municipalities in Ontario have embraced B’nai Brith Canada’s call to restrict the public display of the Hakenkreuz and other Nazi symbols. On March 6, Saskatchewan became the first province to endorse our campaign.
The organizations and community leaders endorsing B’nai Brith’s Campaign are:
- Canadian Organization for Hindu Heritage Education (COHHE);
- Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA) Canada;
- Rishabh Sarswat, CoHNA Canada President;
- Virender Singh, Hindu leader;
- Vishwa Jain Sangathan Canada;
- Swastika Awareness Coalition;
- Buddhist Council of New York;
- Heiwa Peace and Reconciliation Foundation of New York.
