Who would name their restaurant [or anything for that matter] after Adolf Hitler? A person in India did. He claims [the full story is below] the reason why he named his restaurant after Hitler was only to attract business. Stupid if you ask me. The only thing he managed to attract is outrage and attention from the media.
I find it amusing in some countries that Adolf Hitler is only a "historical figure" to them. By labeling any leader in history a "historical figure", it's like another way of saying that it's no big deal. History came and went and don't dwell on it.
I have never heard of the swastika symbol origin being from the hindus. The swastika symbol is actually a german cross that was reshaped by Hitler. Maybe germans stoled the cross symbol from the hindus and made it their own. That wouldn't surprise me, considering the germans have stolen other things, including famous art from the top museums in Europe.
Restaurant story [below] is from the ASSociated Press freaks:
Updated:2006-08-24 14:30:46
Restaurant to Drop Hitler Theme
AP
BOMBAY, India (Aug. 24) -- The owner of a restaurant named after Adolf Hitler said Thursday he will change its name because it angered so many people.
Puneet Sablok said he would remove Hitler's name and the Nazi swastika from billboards and the menu. He had said the restaurant's name -- "Hitler's Cross" -- and symbols were only meant to attract attention.
Sablok made the decision after meeting with members of Bombay's small Jewish community.
"Once they told me how upset they were with the name, I decided to change it," he said. "I don't want to do business by hurting people."
Sablok said he had not yet decided on a new name.
Hitler's Cross opened five days ago and serves pizza, salad and pastries in Navi Mumbai, a suburb of Bombay, also known as Mumbai.
On Thursday, Bombay's Jewish community welcomed Sablok's decision to rename his restaurant.
"He realized he made a mistake and listened to reason," said Elijah Jacob, a community leader. "Some people have wrong conceptions of history and he realized it was not appropriate."
Bombay's Jews had called the theme of the restaurant offensive and demanded a name change. There are about 5,500 Jews in India, with about 4,500 of them living in Bombay.
"I never wanted to hurt people's feelings," said Sablok.
Some Indians regard Hitler as just another historical figure and have little knowledge about the Holocaust, in which 6 million European Jews were systematically killed during World War II.
The swastika symbol, which was appropriated by the Nazis, was originally an ancient Hindu symbol and it is displayed all over India to bring luck.
read this link for a history of the swastika:
http://history1900s.about.com/cs/swastika/a/swastikahistory.htm
Posted by: History Freak | Sunday, October 01, 2006 at 12:31 PM