Swastika is NOT the Nazi Hakenkreuz Symbol – Know the Difference!
For at least five decades, Hindus around the world have faced confusion, frustration, and indignation as their sacred Swastika has been mistakenly equated with Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Hakenkreuz (hooked cross). This misrepresentation is often reinforced by the debunked Aryan Invasion Theory and the frequent invocation of Nazi comparisons in intellectual debates—an example of Godwin’s Law, which states that as an online discussion progresses, the likelihood of a reference to Hitler or the Nazis approaches certainty.
On this note, a few days ago, American rapper Kanye West launched a website selling T-shirts featuring the Nazi Hakenkreuz. However, mainstream media and social media collectively reported the story, claiming that Kanye was selling T-shirts with the Swastika rather than the Hakenkreuz, further perpetuating this long-standing misconception.
Simon Wiesenthal Center shared on X, ‘Kanye West used his Super Bowl ad to drive millions to his website, where he’s selling swastika t-shirts. Kanye’s domain is registered by GoDaddy; his website is run on Shopify. The swastika symbolizes the murder of millions of Jews and the hatred of other minority groups.’
Edmonton Journal stated, ‘Kanye West sells swastika shirts on Ottawa-based Shopify after Super Bowl ad.’
Polymarket Intel asserted, ‘Kanye West, with 34 million followers, has erased everything from his site—except for a single swastika shirt up for sale.’
CNN, Vulture, Daily Mail Online, The Hindu, The New York Times, and Patriot Vibes shared the similar claims.
In this article, we will clarify the distinction between the Swastika, a sacred symbol revered by billions of Hindus worldwide, and the Nazi Hakenkreuz, a symbol despised by billions across the globe.
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During our research, we came across the website of the Coalition of Hindus of North America, which explains the true meaning of the Swastika. According to the website, the Swastika is a Sanskrit word derived from su (meaning “good”) and asti (meaning “to be”), translating to “that which brings good luck and well-being.” The word swasti appears in the Vedas and other classical Hindu texts, including the Rigveda, the Puranas, and the Upanishads, where it is used as a greeting and a symbol of auspiciousness.
The Swastika’s simple yet profound design holds multiple meanings. It represents the movement of the universe, the four Vedas, the four goals of life (Dharma, Artha, Kama, Moksha), and the four stages of life. Hindus use the Swastika extensively in daily life—it decorates home entrances as a sign of welcome, is displayed in temples, and is used in yoga and meditation practices. During the Mundan (head-shaving) ceremony, a Swastika is drawn on a child’s head for good fortune. The symbol is also widely used in festivals like Diwali and Navratri, often appearing in Rangoli designs. Buddhists and Jains also incorporate the Swastika into their traditions, and in Japan, it is known as Manji, appearing on street maps and temple markers.
The article further explains how the Nazi Hakenkreuz (hooked cross) came into prominence in Germany. In 1872, archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann discovered symbols resembling the Swastika at the ancient site of Troy. In his 1891 book, he linked these symbols to pottery found in Germany. His French colleague, Émile Burnouf, who held anti-Semitic views, misinterpreted these findings, associating the symbol with an imagined “Aryan master race.” This theory gained traction in 19th-century Europe, fueling racial supremacist ideologies. German nationalist groups later adopted the Hakenkreuz as a representation of their so-called Aryan heritage.
Dr. Daniel Rancour-Laferriere, a professor emeritus at the University of California, Davis, provides extensive evidence of Hitler’s Christian upbringing and the influence of Christian symbolism on his ideology. In his book The Sign of the Cross: From Golgotha to Genocide, he argues that Hitler’s choice of the Hakenkreuz as the Nazi emblem may have been influenced by his early years at a Benedictine monastery in Austria. There, he frequently saw the hooked cross displayed in religious contexts, including on the coat of arms of Abbot Theoderich von Hagen.
Furthermore, Rancour-Laferriere highlights the mistranslation of Hakenkreuz as “Swastika,” despite the fact that any German speaker would recognize that Hakenkreuz literally means “hooked cross.” He points out that as a boy, Hitler repeatedly encountered the hooked cross in a Christian setting during his choir lessons and studies at the monastery.
From this discussion, it becomes clear that Hitler’s genocidal Hakenkreuz symbol originated from his Christian background, not from the sacred Hindu Swastika. His exposure to Christian iconography in Austria played a significant role in popularizing the Hakenkreuz. Therefore, there is no connection between the Nazi Hakenkreuz and the Hindu Swastika.
We also came across an article from Swarajya that supports these findings. The article clarifies a common misconception: Hitler never referred to his emblem as the “Swastika.” Instead, he called it the “Hooked Cross” (Hakenkreuz). Hitler first saw the Hakenkreuz symbol at Lambach Abbey, a Christian monastery he attended as a boy. He later adopted it as the emblem of the Nazi Party. There is no evidence that he ever encountered the word “Swastika.” The Hakenkreuz had been a sacred Christian symbol since ancient times and was commonly found in old churches and chapels.
In Nazi Germany, the Hakenkreuz was recognized as a Christian symbol. From 1933 onward, Catholic schoolchildren in Nazi Germany were taught about the “close connection between the Cross and the Hooked Cross” during religious instruction. Members of the Nazi SA (Sturmabteilung), with the approval of some Protestant ministers, even marched to church services where the Hakenkreuz was prominently displayed.
Churches during the Nazi era often featured imagery that combined the Cross with the Hakenkreuz. Historical evidence shows that the Hakenkreuz was a significant symbol in Christianity long before the Nazis used it. It was found on early Christian graves in Rome as early as the 2nd century CE.
A fresco from the Christian catacombs of Via Latina even depicts the biblical prophet Moses crossing the Red Sea while wearing a tunic adorned with the Hakenkreuz.
Unfortunately, the Hakenkreuz has been wrongly associated with the Swastika, leading to the mistaken belief that the Hindu symbol is connected to the antisemitism and atrocities of Nazi Germany. However, the Hakenkreuz has no relation to Hinduism or the Swastika—it has been a distinct Christian symbol for centuries.
The confusion between the Swastika and the Hakenkreuz can be traced back to James Murphy, an English Christian priest. According to Swarajya, Murphy translated Adolf Hitler’s book Mein Kampf into English. At the time, English evangelists opposed the Nazis and sought to portray Hitler as a pagan rather than a Christian.
In this process, the term Hakenkreuz (Hooked Cross) was deliberately mistranslated as “Swastika.” As Hitler’s atrocities became widely condemned, Christian evangelists in Europe attempted to distance him from Christianity. To achieve this, they translated Mein Kampf into English and replaced Hakenkreuz with Swastika, ensuring that Hitler’s genocidal ideology was no longer associated with Christian Socialism.
Moreover, An interesting discovery we made is how Google has seemingly conditioned itself to misrepresent Hinduism. When we translate Hakenkreuz from German to English, Google does not provide the correct translation—“Hooked Cross.” Instead, it translates it as “Nazi Swastika.” Similarly, when we translate “Swastika” into German, it incorrectly gives Hakenkreuz as the result.
This raises concerns about how misinformation is being propagated. It appears that a larger agenda is at play, where Christianity’s historical ties to the Hakenkreuz are being erased, and Hinduism is being unfairly linked to Hitler’s genocidal symbol. Google, in this case, seems to be acting like the modern-day Joseph Goebbels—spreading a distorted narrative that hides Christianity’s connection to the Hakenkreuz while falsely associating it with Hinduism.
The Swastika (Sacred Hindu Symbol):
• Four symmetrical arms, sometimes with dots or decorative elements.
• Can face either clockwise (right-facing) or counterclockwise (left-facing), though the right-facing Swastika is more common in Hinduism.
• Arms extend at 90-degree angles.
The Hakenkreuz (Nazi Symbol):
• Tilted at a 45-degree angle, creating a diamond-like shape.
• Thick, straight arms with uniform width.
• Typically lacks any decorative elements.
This deliberate mistranslation has led to widespread confusion, but understanding the distinct origins and designs of these symbols helps clarify the difference between them.
For decades, Hindus worldwide have faced confusion and frustration as their sacred Swastika has been wrongly equated with the Nazi Hakenkreuz (hooked cross). This misconception stems from a deliberate mistranslation by English priest James Murphy, who replaced Hakenkreuz with “Swastika” in his English translation of Mein Kampf. This was done to dissociate Hitler from Christianity and instead portray him as a pagan.
The truth is clear: the Swastika is an ancient symbol of prosperity and well-being in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, while the Hakenkreuz was adopted by Hitler and used to promote hate and genocide. The two symbols are completely different in design, meaning, and historical significance. The Swastika has straight arms at 90-degree angles, often with decorative elements, whereas the Hakenkreuz is tilted at 45 degrees, with thick, uniform arms.
Despite these facts, misconceptions continue today. A recent example is the controversy surrounding Kanye West, who launched a website selling T-shirts with the Nazi Hakenkreuz symbol. However, many media outlets falsely reported that he was selling T-shirts with the Swastika, further spreading misinformation.
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