Muslim Use of the Swastika1 Reply

Asiatic Muslims have been using swastikas in calligraphy and architecture for a long time. But is this Islamic?First of all, the swastika is not anti-Semitic. If all you (think you) know about the swastika is that it was used by National Socialist (“Nazi”)Germany, then be aware of two facts:

1. The swastika has been used around the world, even Sub-Saharan Africa(!) for thousands of years:

2.3. Arabs and Ethiopians (among others) are Semites. They USE the

swastika, so it can’t be anti-Semitic:

Ethiopian Orthodox Church

http://www.gnosis.us.com/45633/ancienthistorical-swastikas/

If that’s not enough to convince you read more about swastika use in Africa here:  Afrikan Swastikas – Knowledge of Self.

Now let’s take a virtual tour the Muslim world, past and present…Makkah (Mecca)Makka is Islam’s holiest city.  It is where the Qur-an was revealed.  It houses Masjid al-Haram (The Sacred Place of Prostration) the direction to which all Muslims pray.  Recently, the government currently controlling Makka has overseen the tallest clock tower in the world (apparently overlooking the fact that most Muslims have mobile phones to tell time with).  Believe it or not, that clock, that monument, has swastikas.  Lookhow the white lines intersect:

The Makkah Clock Tower, Mecca, Saudi Arabia

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=334299&page=571

PersiaPersia is much larger than modern day Iran.  Basically, ‘Persia’ refers tothe homeland of Persians, who since ancient times have used the term Aryan(hence, Iran) to describe themselves and their language:

We will look at swastika use in what is now Iran and Tajikistan.

Iran

Friday Mosque in Isfahan, Iran

http://www.swastika-info.com/

Ceiling of the Ali Qapu Pavilion in Isfahan, Iran from the 17th century.

http://www.proswastika.org/

Ali’s name in tilework Kufic calligraphy, next to swastikas, Friday Mosque, Yazd

http://www.paulstravelblog.com/wp/?m=200805&paged=2

The column of Darvazeh Dowlat in Tehran

http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread809237/pg7

The column of Darvazeh Dowlat in Tehran

http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread809237/pg7

Islamic Azad University, Bandar Abbas, Iran

http://www.proswastika.org/

Tajikistan

Like other post-Soviet countries, Tajikistan has taken a fresh look its history following independence in 1991. The result is a state campaign to promote the notion that the Tajiks as a Aryan nation – andthe widespread use of the swastika. (Aryan Myth and Metahistory)

A Tajik emblem that is based on the swastika

http://aryan-myth-and-metahistory.blogspot.com/2011/08/tajikistan-aryan-revival-and.html

Iraq

“This is…on the wall of Baghdad’s oldest university which is older than Oxford – by a few years.”

https://maryrussellwriter.wordpress.com/tag/mosque/

Turkic CountriesAnatolian Peninsula (Modern Turkey)

This was the center of power of the Uthmani (“Ottoman”) Empire, which ruled over many Muslim territories for centuries.

“The Great Mosque of Diyarbakır (Diyarbakır Ulu Camii / Mizgefta Mezin a Amedê), located in

Diyarbakır, Turkey, is the oldest and one of the most significant mosques in Anatolia. The mosque is

considered by some to be the fifth holiest site in Islam. It can accommodate up to 5,000 worshippers

and is famous for hosting four different Islamic traditions.”

http://svasticross.blogspot.com/

A part of the Topkapi Scroll

“The Topkapi architectural design scroll is probably the best-preserved and oldest scroll of this kind

to have survived. Aproximated between 1500 – 1600 made

It is of great importance for an understanding of Timurid and Turkmen geometric design principles.

The scroll is 29.5 meters long, with 114 drawings, it bears no date and is not signed. The drawings

represent geometrical designs, murqanas designs and contain patterns and elements of square

kufic. It entered the Ottoman imperial treasury at an unknown date and is now housed at the

Topkapi Place Museum in Istanbul, Turkey.”

http://svasticross.blogspot.com/

Sivas, Şifahiye Medresesi, Turkey

“Sifaiye Medresesi is a medrese built in 1217 in Sivas, Turkey. It bears typical Seljuk features and was

built by the Rûm Seljuk Sultan Kaykaus I, who was known for his fondness for the city of Sivas where

he spent the large part of his period of reign.

The complex consists of a Darüşşifa (Dâr al-Shifâ, literally “house of health”, a hospital) and the

medrese where medicinal studies were also taught. The complex is also alternatively called under

the sultan Izeddin Keykavus I’s name whose tomb is located within the compound.”

http://svasticross.blogspot.com/

Uzbekistan

Entrance to the Poi Kalon Mosque, Uzbekistan

http://newsoftomorrow.org/esoterisme/chamanisme/olga-kharitidi-le-maitre-des-reves-lucides-au-coeur-de-lasie-

une-psychiatre-russe-apprend-comment-guerir-les-esprits-du-trauma/attachment/swastika-kalyan-mosque

Kashgar, China

Though controlled by China, Kashgar is predominately peopled by Muslim Uyghurs,  a Turkic ethnic group  living in Eastern and Central Asia.

“Mosque in Kashgar, China, near the border of Pakistan”

https://solotravelblog.net/swastikas-in-asia/

Indian SubcontinentThe Indus River Valley civilization (mostly in modern Pakistan) is where the names ‘India’ and ‘Hindu’ come from.  It is from this civilization that many religions like Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism and Sikhism, famous for their use of the swastika, ultimately originated.

Buddhism

Sikh Deity Stand (SikhBazaar.com)

Jainism

The Mughal (Mongol) dynasties which ruled India used this symbol in their architecture.  They either adopted its use from locals, or had already been using it.

Sikandra. This is the “buland darwaaza” (great gate) leading to the gardens of the tomb of Akbar,

the greatest, ablest, and probably the most enlightened of the Mughal emperors. Early 17th century,

local red sandstone with ornate marble inlay (including Koranic calligraphy in letters at least a foot

high)

http://mise-en-trope.blogspot.com/2011/03/sikandra-and-agra-akbars-tomb-and-taj.html

“This is where they say Shah Jahan, the man behind the Taj Mahal, was imprisoned BY HIS SON.”

http://www.aroundtheworldl.com/2014/06/29/agra-fort-india/

Andalus (Modern Iberian Peninsula/Spain)Andalus was a medieval Muslim cultural domain and territory occupying at its peak most of what are today Spain and Portugal.

Al-Andalus & Christian Kingdoms (wikipedia)

The fact that Spain was the first [West Asian] country to acquire technical supremacy at the dawn of modern times and for a certain period dominate the world can only be explained by the [Muslim] contribution during the time of its colonization. (Diop, Cheikh Anta, Precolonial Black Africa (Chicago:  Lawrence Hill Books, 1987), p.36)

The Mosque of Cordoba, Andalus (Spain), construction completed in 987 CE.

http://www.proswastika.org

Muslim Calligraphy

“All Sovereignty to Allah”, by Fatma Mohammad Abdel Rahim from the United Arab Emirates

http://svasticross.blogspot.com/2012/04/swastika-allah.html

By Ahmad Zeid

http://www.flickr.com/photos/93272306@N05/9762358206

Ahmad Zeid

http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7389/9452801696_ac86e59071_m.jpg

As you can see from the calligraphy especially, the swastika is a consequence of lines intersecting at right angles.  Muslims have historically avoided depicting living things in artwork, so geometric patterns are where they focused their creativity.  Perhaps at least some of the swastikas are unintentional apexes that allow uninterrupted patterns.  However, some are obviously a continuation of pre-Islamic use of the swastika by central Asian populations and their diaspora, which includes Arabia.  Which brings us to the next question:

But is using the swastika symbol Islamic?

No, but neither is using the crescent moon and star, the supposed symbol of Islam.

Though the crescent was originally a secular symbol of authority for Muslim rulers, it is now often used to symbolize the Islamic faith. However, the crescent was not a symbol used for Islam by Muhammad or any other early Muslim rulers, as the Islamic religion is, in fact, against appointing “holy symbols” (so that during the early centuries of Islam, Muslim authorities simply didn’t want any geometric symbols to be used to symbolize Islam, in the way that the cross symbolizes Christianity, the menorah was a commonly occurring symbol of Judaism, etc.). This is why early Islamic coins were covered with Arabic writing, but contained no visual symbols.(wikipedia)

The crescent, like the swastika, is a pre-Islamic symbol.

Unlike the swastika, however, whose origins are debated, the crescent and star have clear polytheist (mushrik/pagan) significance:

The crescent is one of the oldest symbols known to humanity.  Before Islam, the crescent was the symbol of Sassanids and after capturing Persian lands, the crescent has been adopted by Arab Muslims and later by other Muslims. The crescent and star also appears on pre-Islamic coins of South Arabia.

In the 12th century the crescent and star were adopted by the Turks and since then the crescent has been a frequent symbol used by powerful Muslim empires such as the Ottomans and the Mughals. It

is a historical symbol of the Turks, associated especially with the Ottoman Empire, but pre-Islamic Turkic nations such as the Göktürks used the crescent and star figure on their coins. (wikipedia)

So it’s no worse to use the swastika on a mosque, or as a Muslim symbol (it obviously can’t be Islamic) than it is to use the crescent.

Can a Pagan Symbol Represent Islam?

Swastikas, crescents, stars, eagles, etc. may or may not be “bad”, but a government that uses a pagan symbol doesn’t seem to be saying they represent Allah as sovereign.  Coincidentally, no government is doing a good job implementing the authority of Allah and his Messenger (sA’a&s).

“And he shares his authority with no one (Qur-an 18.26)

Decorating Mosques is a Sign of Spiritual Decline and Materialism

“Narrated / Authority of: Anas bin Malik:  The Messenger of Allah (sAaws) said: ‘The Hour will not begin until the people compete in (building) masjids (mosques).’” (Sunan Ibn Majah) (ahadith.co.uk)

‘Umar ordered that the mosque be rebuilt and he said: Protect the people from rain, but beware of using red or yellow (for adornment) and distracting the people.

Anas said: They build mosques and boast about that, but they do not use them for worship except rarely.

Ibn ‘Abbaas said: You are going to adorn (mosques) as the Jews and Christians adorn (their places ofworship) (Islam Question & Answer)

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Verily the Safa and Marwa [two small mountains now located in the Masjid al-Haram in Makka] are among the Symbols of Allah. So, if one visits the House in the Season or at other times, there is no blame on him if he should compass them round. If any one obeys his own impulse to good, be sure that God is Thankful and All Knowing (Qur-an 2.158)

And [mention, O Muhammad], when We designated for Abraham the site of the House, [saying], “Do not associate anything with Me and purify My House for those who perform Tawaf and those who stand [in prayer] and those who bow and prostrate.

And proclaim to the people the Hajj [pilgrimage]; they will come to you on foot and on every lean camel; they will come from every distant pass –

That they may witness benefits for themselves and mention the name of Allah on known days over what He has provided for them of [sacrificial] animals. So eat of them and feed the miserable and poor…

Then let them end their untidiness and fulfill their vows and perform Tawaf around the ancient House.

That [is so]. And whoever honors the symbols of Allah – indeed, it is from the piety of hearts. (Qur-an 22 (Suratu-lHajj))