America
Varsity set to ban Hindu religious symbol from campus
Washington, April 24
The George Washington
University is preparing to ban from its campus an important Hindu
religious symbol - the swastika - because it resembles the Nazi symbol
and may hurt the sensibilities of some students, a media report said
Friday.
The director of the Office of Student Rights and
Responsibilities and dean of student affairs will soon hold a hearing in
the matter, according to a guest post in www.valuewalk.com.
However, many, including the university's public interest law professor John Banzhaf, are not amused.
"It
is like banning the 6-pointed Jewish Star of David because some people
might mistake it for the pentagram symbol and human sacrifice, or
expelling a student for using the word 'niggardly' because other
students may mistake it for a racist word and get upset," Banzhaf was
quoted as saying.
Banzhaf, in a legal memo to key campus
officials, has suggested that the university and its president may
already be liable for defamation and other civil torts.
When a
Jewish student studying Eastern religions recently returned from India
with a religious symbol sacred to many Indians and others called a
Sanskrit svastika (with a "V"), but another Jewish student initially
mistook it for a Nazi swastika (with a "Wa), there was initial concern
that it was meant as a threat to Jewish students.
However, within
hours, all was explained, the student withdrew his complaint and said
he had nothing to fear, and the campus police discontinued their
investigation, read the post.
The university has seemingly taken
the position that posting anything which could be mistaken for a Nazi
swastika - even if it is of a different colour and orientation, and/or
might be seen as "rotating" in the opposite direction - cannot be
displayed on campus, even by students who are Hindus or Buddhists.
This effective banning of a sacred religious symbol, simply because it may look like something else, seems to be unprecedented.
"Banning
one religious symbol - and even things that look something like it -
while freely permitting the display of other religious symbols, would
seem to be a clear violation of the DC Human Rights Act which prohibits
discrimination based upon religious beliefs," said Banzhaf.