Hindu groups slam Kanye West for equating sacred Swastika with Nazi symbolism

Highlights:

A North American Hindu advocacy organization has sharply criticized U.S. rapper Kanye West, also known as Ye, for equating the swastika with Nazi symbolism, calling his remarks deeply offensive, historically incorrect, and harmful to Hindu and other Dharmic communities.

The Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA) said Ye’s comments had insulted nearly two billion people worldwide for whom the swastika is a sacred religious symbol. The group argued that such statements reinforce long-standing misunderstandings about Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain traditions, where the swastika represents auspiciousness, prosperity, and well-being.

The controversy emerged after Ye issued a public apology for his earlier antisemitic remarks in a full-page advertisement published in The Wall Street Journal. In the ad, titled “To Those I’ve Hurt,” Ye said he had “gravitated towards the most destructive symbol” he could find, referring to the swastika, while distancing himself from Nazism and antisemitism.

CoHNA objected strongly to this framing, noting that Adolf Hitler did not refer to the Nazi emblem as a swastika. Instead, the Nazi symbol was called the Hakenkreuz, or “hooked cross.” The group said conflating the two erases thousands of years of religious and cultural history.

“For thousands of years, the swastika has symbolized auspiciousness, good fortune, and well-being in Dharmic traditions,” CoHNA president Nikunj Trivedi said. “Equating it with a symbol of hate is deeply offensive and undermines the religious freedom of millions who use this sacred symbol in their daily lives.”

CoHNA also called on The Wall Street Journal to issue a correction or clarification, emphasizing the distinction between the Nazi Hakenkreuz and the religious swastika used in Eastern faiths. The group pointed out that lawmakers in parts of the United States and Canada have formally recognized this distinction, acknowledging the need for historical and cultural precision.

Ye’s remarks come amid a prolonged period of controversy surrounding the artist. In recent years, he has faced widespread backlash for antisemitic statements, praise for extremist figures, and repeated use of Nazi imagery in music, fashion, and public appearances. These actions have led to major brands and business partners cutting ties with him.

In his apology, Ye attributed his behavior to untreated bipolar disorder and a brain injury from a car accident that he said went undiagnosed for years. While Jewish advocacy groups such as the Anti-Defamation League described the apology as overdue, they also stressed that words alone do not erase the harm caused by repeated antisemitic actions.

For Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain communities, however, the issue extends beyond Ye as an individual. Community leaders say the swastika has long been the subject of global efforts to reclaim its original meaning as a symbol of peace, continuity, and spiritual balance—distinct from its 20th-century appropriation by Nazi Germany.

“This is about protecting religious freedom and cultural heritage, not minimizing the horrors of Nazism,” CoHNA has said. “Both historical truth and moral clarity are possible.”

The confusion between the swastika and Nazi symbolism, the group noted, stems from early 20th-century Western media translations that incorrectly labeled the Nazi Hakenkreuz as a swastika. Over time, this error hardened into convention, eclipsing the symbol’s ancient and ongoing religious significance.

In recent years, Hindu and interfaith organizations have intensified educational and legal efforts to correct this misunderstanding, stressing that precision matters when symbols are tied both to genocide and to living faith traditions.