Thread by @CoHNAOfficial

An @AP article explores the contested narrative around Hitler’s #Hakenkruz & the sacred #Swastika. Thanks @reporterdeepa for this nuanced look at an issue with deep impact on Buddhist, Hindu, Jain & Native American communities living in the west. 1/n
apnews.com/article/religi…

Thrilled to see CoHNA's efforts in driving education on Swastika in the story! Our recent California campaign re AB2282 resulted in a partial win & much work remains to be done. We thank the extended group working on the change-this is Dharma in action. 🙏🏽cohna.org/organization-l…

Powerful quote from Greta Elbogen, Holocaust survivor whose family was killed at Auschwitz, says it all..."This new knowledge about the swastika feels liberating”. She no longer fears a symbol that was used to terrorize, “time to let go of the past & look to the future.” 🙏🏾3/n

Article highlights oft ignored Native American perspective! Patricia Anne Davis, elder of Choctaw & Dineh nations says, “For Navajo people, the symbol, shaped like a swirl, represents the universe & life." Yet 4 tribes agreed to stop using it in 1940. newspapers.com/clip/36417593/… 4/n

Davis continues...“I understand the wounds & trauma that Jewish people experience when they see that symbol. All I can do is affirm its true meaning-the one that never changed across cultures, languages & history. It’s time to restore the authentic meaning of that symbol.” 5/n

A reminder, Hitler NEVER used the term #Swastika for his hateful symbol, always calling it #Hakenkeuz. Those who doubt this, can look at what contemporary reporting from the time said and what terms Nazis themselves used in their prolific propaganda. 6/n
cohna.org/hakenkreuz-not…

Recently, a multi-faith coalition of Buddhist, Hindu & Native American spiritual leaders signed a historic proclamation affirming its meaning & asking the west to recognize the important distinction between #Swastika & #Hakenkreuz or the #hookedcross. 7/n understandingswastika.org/unveiling-swas…