Asian faith groups say Australia's new laws banning Nazi symbols is an opportunity to improve education on the history of the swastika as a symbol of peace.
A ban on Nazi symbols is now being introduced at a federal level.The Hindu, Jain and Buddhist communities say education is key to misunderstandings about the swastika.to come before parliament next week.
The president of the Hindu Council of Australia's Victoria chapter, Makarand Bhagwat, said since Victoria's legislation came into effect in December last year, the education campaign has ramped up. "The four limbs of the symbol signify the four virtues of life: in Sanskrit, Dharma is righteousness, Artha is obtaining wealth with right purpose, Kama is the desire; and Moksha is the utimate aim to be one with God. It also signifies the four seasons and all the natural things which are happening in the world."
Austrian-born British historian Gwendolyn Leick writes that the Nazis were perhaps attracted by the idea put forward by German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann, who connected it to a shared Aryan culture across Europe and Asia as part of his work excavating the ancient city of Troy in the 19th century.
"When survivors of the Holocaust see something like that, in as much as they are survivors of genocide, it's particularly confronting," he said.
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