Source: http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?Swastika We endorse the Stop the ban of the Hindu Swastika Petition to The European Union. To: The European Union German MEPs are calling the EU to ban the Swastika in Europe. The Swastika is already banned in Germany and some are trying to make this a Europe wide law. This is in light of Prince Harry wearing a Nazi uniform in January 2005. Most people associate the symbol with the Nazis but it is also a Hindu symbol. It has been a Hindu symbol of luck for over 5000 years, so why should it be banned because the Nazis used it and abused it in the early 20th Century. The word Swastika comes from Sanskrit meaning any lucky or auspicious object. For Hindus this symbol is used to ward off evil spirits and is present in shrines, on doorsteps and in temples. It is the second most important symbols for Hindus after the Om. It is also regarded sacred to Buddhists and Jains. There are approximately 1 billion Hindus in the world. This is the third largest religion (14% of the world). There are many Hindus in Europe which will be affected. There are approximately 1 million Hindus in the UK, 164,000 in The Netherlands, 120,000 in France and 82,000 in Germany. This is a petition to save a five thousand year symbol. This is the same as saying that the EU is going to ban the cross for Christians or the star and crescent for Muslims. Mr Kallidai says "It's like saying the Ku Klux Klan burn crosses so therefore let's ban the use of crosses worldwide." I believe that the EU has gone into this blindly. Even though the symbol was used unfortunately by a dictatorship it is still a sacred symbol. Please Sign this petition to save the Hindu Swastika. Sincerely, The Undersigned