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Asian faiths try to save swastika symbol corrupted by Hitler

FILE - A groom stands behind a sheet bearing the Hindu swastika during a ritual at a mass wedding ceremony in Virar, on the outskirts of Mumbai, India, Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012. More than 1000 couples were married during the event that was organized by a local politician. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade) This photo provided by the Rev. TK Nakagaki in November 2022 shows a map where Buddhist temples are marked by swastikas in Japan. The swastika was standardized as a temple marker on maps during the Meiji era in the 1880s, and has since been used for that purpose. (The Rev. TK Nakagaki via AP) In this photo provided by Holocaust researcher Jeff Kelman in November 2022, the swastika is seen on a coupon-type store token made before the Nazi Party adopted the symbol. This is part of Kelman's collection, which he says shows the "regular and innocuous use of the swastika as a symbol of good fortune in the West, prior to the Nazi use of the similar-looking hakenkreuz." (Jeff Kelman via AP) This photo provided by the Rev. TK Nakagaki in November 2022 shows the Zenko-jo Buddhist temple in Nagano, Japan, founded in 642 AD, Japan's first Buddhist temple. The swastika symbol is found in the temple's banners, paper lanterns, pillars, roof tiles and in the main shrine alongside the temple crest design of the hollyhock flower. (The Rev. TK Nakagaki via AP) A Hindu swastika symbol is displayed at the home of Sheetal and Sanmeet Deo on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022, in Syosset, N.Y. Hindus, Buddhists and Native Americans are trying to rehabilitate the swastika, a symbol of peace and prosperity, and to restore it to a place of sanctity in their faiths. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki) Sheetal Deo and her husband, Sanmeet Deo, hold a Hindu swastika symbol in their home in Syosset, N.Y., on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022. Hindus, Buddhists and Native Americans are trying to rehabilitate the swastika, a symbol of peace and prosperity, and to restore it to a place of sanctity in their faiths. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)