[Jay Mehta]

Dear Mr. Korman, 

 

I hope this message finds you in good spirits. I recently came across a post related to your popular (and recently paperback-launched) book "Linked". As I was reading the synopsis, one word, "Swastika" concerned me as well as disappointed me tremendously - especially considering that the book is for young children of impressionable age and I wanted to draw your attention to it. 

 

However well-intentioned the premise of the book is, unfortunately, it ends up perpetuating misunderstanding, misuse, and hatred towards the Hindus, Buddhists, and Jains across the world, and more so in the US and Canada.

 

The historically accurate term for the Nazi symbol of hate is Hakenkreuz ("Hooked Cross" in English) and NOT Swastika. Swastika, on the other hand, has been used for millennia by followers of the Dharmic traditions (including Hindus, Buddhists, and Jains) as a symbol of peace, prosperity, and good luck. Even today Swastika is commonly used in rituals and festivals around the world and is held sacred by over 2 billion people worldwide.

 

Countering hatred, racism, and bigotry is important to building a more diverse and inclusive society for all. It is also important to recognize the transgenerational trauma of the six million Jews, one and a half million Romas, and others killed by Nazi persecution and that the Nazi symbol, Hakenkreuz (Hooked Cross), has a chilling and intimidating effect on Jews even today. Yet, the important work of fighting hatred and intolerance must not inadvertently stoke resentment and hatred towards other religious minorities, or subject them to bullying and abuse. A symbol derives its meaning not just from the shape but also from the context. Despite the apparent geometrical similarities between the Nazi "hooked cross" and the Swastika, the two have nothing to do with each other and are used in diametrically opposite contexts. After all, we can distinguish the Ku Klux Klan’s Burning Cross from the Holy Cross, even though the two are identical in shape.

 

The story of how the Nazi symbol started being referred to as the Swastika is an unfortunate chapter of post-World War II history (read more) that needs to be corrected in our school and college curricula as well as in popular culture. Only through proper knowledge about world cultures and religions can we develop mutual respect and pluralism that must be the cornerstone of any multi-racial, multi-ethnic, and inclusive society.

 

For practicing Hindus, Buddhists, and Jains, it is deeply concerning that your book is associating our sacred symbol with hate and antisemitism. This false association can make our communities, vulnerable to hate crimes, and particularly, may subject Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain children in Canadian and US schools to a greater risk of being bullied due to their faith. In the US, in 2015, a Jewish student at George Washington University was wrongly disciplined for a hate crime for possessing a Swastika that he brought back from India. In May 2021, police questioned a Hindu family in Regina after they were wrongly accused of “spreading hate”. Similarly, people from the Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, indigenous communities and other traditions are also at risk of having their religious practices falsely recast as hateful.

 

Last year, in May 2022, a Member of Parliament from Napean ON, Mr. Chandra Arya, stated, during his statement in the House of Commons, “We support the ban of Nazi symbol of hatred Hakenkreuz or the Hooked Cross, but calling it Swastika is to deny us, Hindu Canadians, our religious right and freedom, to use our sacred symbol Swastika in our daily life”. 

 

I would request you to refer to the following information and additional resources:

• Swastika Education & Awareness Campaign (SEAC)
• Understanding Swastika and
• Documentary titled, The Silence of Swastika 
• The Hakenkreuz, Swastika, and the Christian Cross - A Conversation with a Jewish Researcher
• Swastika vs Hitler's Hooked Cross - An Interfaith Dialogue

 

I would humbly request you to make the necessary changes in the upcoming reprints and Kindle versions of your popular book with the correct information about differentiating between Hakenkreuz (Hooked Cross) and Swastika.  

Please let me know in case of any questions. 

Thank you,  

Jay Mehta

[Gordon Korman]

Dear Mr. Mehta,

You're totally right, of course. Society has yet to catch up to such matters as you describe them. And it will, eventually, we hope. I'm afraid that mine is not the only book, or motion picture, or article that may be found unfair and offensive over far too many years. I also submit that substituting the word "Hakenkruez" would, at this stage, confuse across the board, correct as it may or may not be.

Meanwhile, I thank you for your letter. I will pass your comments up the chain.

                                                                                                               -----Gordon Korman-----