Raelians seek worldwide recognition of the 4th 'Swastika Rehabilitation Day'

LAS VEGAS, July 17, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Recently, on the American TV quiz show "Jeopardy," a visual clue popped up under the category "Asian religions." Visible to the home viewing audience, the visual was a photo depicting a swastika on an ancient gateway. The audio stated: "This ancient symbol found in some Asian religions signified only peace, good will and good fortune until the Nazis used it."

(Photo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130717/DC48532 )

This was exactly the kind of information the International Raelian Movement is hoping to see in mainstream Western media.

"It's possible the question writer saw one of our articles or events," said Thomas Kaenzig, Raelian Guide and President of the ProSwastika Alliance. "But although this Jeopardy question may have surprised many people, you can see pre-Nazi-era swastikas all over the United States. For example, it's found throughout the floor pattern of President James Garfield's tomb, at the San Francisco mint and on 1920s lampposts in Glendale, California.[1] It's also found at thousands of Native American sites. In fact, it's so prevalent in the revered ancestral lands of the Americas that we hope many members of the various Native American Tribes will join us this year in restoring the swastika's reputation."[2]

Kaenzig emphasized that the swastika deserves to have its original meaning fully restored, without any taint whatsoever from those who hijacked it in the 1930s.

"We want to fully rehabilitate this symbol that's so dear to billions of people," Kaenzig explained, adding that abundant pre-Nazi-era images of the swastika are found just about everywhere on Earth, including locations that can surprise Westerners unaware of the symbol's ancient and honorable history.

"It's been used for thousands of years as a symbol of well being and good luck, so when Westerners interpret it as meaning something ugly just because the Nazis used it, our society denies millions of people the right to live their religion freely," he said.

The swastika is special to Raelians because it intertwines with two interlocking triangles to form the Raelian symbol.

"The swastika in our symbol stands for infinity in time and the interlocking triangles represent infinity in space," Kaenzig explained. "We feature these images at our annual Happiness Academies worldwide, including the most recent one in Mexico, and we also use them throughout the year in accordance with our philosophy and to honor our creators, the Elohim, who gave us this symbol," Kaenzig said. (See [3] for photos of Raelians forming a swastika.)

He said creative events promoting the fourth annual Swastika Rehabilitation Day and celebrating the symbol's revered and ancient heritage will be held worldwide on Saturday, July 20, all over the Americas as well as in many European cities, and in Africa, Australia and the Middle East, including in Tel Aviv.

Tel Aviv?

"Many pre-1930s Jewish synagogues around the world, including one in Verona, Italy,[4] contain swastikas, since in earlier times they had only positive connotations for Jews," Kaenzig explained. "You can see this for yourself, since these ancient swastikas have survived and can be seen all over Israel."[5]

Last year on Swastika Rehabilitation Day the Raelian Movement has flown banners featuring the symbol over beaches along a number of major Western cities.

"This year, we'll again display swastika-themed banners in the skies over a number of U.S. and Canadian cities," Kaenzig said. "But the real emphasis is on worldwide recognition and vindication for the truly positive connotations of this symbol. Therefore, the Raelian Movement asks members of all religions that use it in their symbolism, plus others who believe in religious freedom, to join us on Swastika Rehabilitation Day. And we're especially asking the worldwide Hindu community of one billion followers to take part.[6] We hope Hindus around the world will stand up for their fellow Hindus living in the West, who face discrimination if they openly revere this symbol. For example, a Hindu child in a U.S. school district was singled out for special counseling and other corrective measures merely because he drew a swastika for a holiday-themed assignment."[7]

[1] http://www.proswastika.org/america
[2] http://www.proswastika.org/news.php?extend.297
[3] http://www.proswastika.org/news.php?extend.300
[4] http://www.proswastika.org/news.php?extend.141.6
[5] http://www.proswastika.org/israel
[6] http://www.proswastika.org/news.php?extend.296
[7] http://www.proswastika.org/news.php?item.20.1