Have you seen this shop yet?!
Brilliant.
This new offensively named boutique shop that has just popped up in India! Lovely time!
Unfortunately, it's causing a lot of controversy for being.... well... anti-semitic. The best part about it being that the owners are claiming ignorance!
Rajesh Shah is the co-owner of the Hitler boutique in Ahmedabad, India, and says he had no idea that naming his store after the former despotic leader of Germany would be so controversial:
“Hitler was a nickname given to my business partner Manish Chandani’s grandfather because of his strict nature,” claims Shaw. “Frankly, till the time we applied for the trademark permission, I had only heard that Hitler was a strict man. It was only recently that we read about Hitler on the Internet.”
WOW.
So, people think this is a lie. Several Jewish leaders have said that Shaw and Chandani knew exactly what they were doing when they named the store. Shah told The Times of India that they would be willing to change the name of the store, but only if they’re compensated for the money they spent on the sign. Haha!
I must say that it seems rather unlikely that the pair had no idea who Hitler was, considering they dotted the “i” with a swastika. And also the fact that India actually assisted the British in battling Germany during World War II.
But who's accusing anyone?!
Turns out, it could well be the case that they're telling the truth! Leading educational researchers have noted an increased interest by Indians in Hitler in recent years — sales of Mein Kampf are up 15% there and, says Dr. Navras Jaat Aafreedi, an Assistant Professor at the Department of History & Civilization at Gautam Buddha University in India, that’s partially because Indians falsely believe that World War II (and Hitler) is responsible for India’s push from independence from Britain.
I read a good interview with Aafreedi, actually. In it he states:
“Most of the Indians do not even know about the Jews, let alone the Holocaust. Among the section of the Indian population that is aware of the Holocaust, there are many who have fallen into the trap of the Holocaust deniers and have started either doubting it as a whole or just its scale.”
I literally had no idea!
It gets worse... So, yeah, alright, Hitler is considered historically heinous by most of humanity, but not in India! Oh, no. In India his popularity is on the climb!
Ironically, according to Aafreedi: “India is the only country in the world where Jews have lived with their non-Jewish neighbours in complete harmony for more than two millennia.”
Therefore, Hitler’s ever increasing popularity is really just a paradox because there isn't really any Anti-Semitism in India! But sales of Hitler’s Mein Kampf have risen over 15% in the last decade, the name “Aryan” is becoming a popular first name in India, and (this is my favourite part) “Hitler” is the name of the protagonist in many a Bollywood production!
Why?!
Well, apparently unlike modern-day neo-Nazis who idealize Hitler for his racist ideology, Indians who respect Hitler do so as a result of misinformation. “It can be ascribed to the absence of Jewish Studies in India, where Islamic Studies are available at almost all major Indian universities. The level of ignorance among Indians about Jews is hysterical and the state has been unwilling to introduce Jewish Studies in India, whereas in the neighboring country China, Jewish Studies are available at ten of its universities,” Aafreedi says. He explains that Indians are largely ignorant of the Holocaust, and therefore “tend to see it as a justified collateral damage for the greater good of Germany, influenced as they are by the way Hitler is often projected as a hero by the Hindu right wing.”
GOOD.
It is also wrongly believed that Hitler’s battle with the Allies forced Britain to focus their resources in Europe and Britain was unable to maintain control over a territory as large as India, which left room for an Indian independence movement.
Another reason Aafreedi thinks Hitler is so popular in India is because of the younger generation’s great desire for strong leadership and the lack of good examples.
Hitler’s Mein Kampf is available in almost all Indian dialects, but the only book on the Holocaust in India’s national language, Hindi, is a FAQ collection about the Holocaust published by Yad Vashem.
Dr. Aafreedi believes that the key to combating this situation is in education. “I promote Jewish Studies in India, the study of Jewish history, culture and religion. It is just not possible to understand the two most widely practiced religions, Christianity and Islam, without a study of Judaism, the oldest of the three Semitic monotheistic religions. It is important for any nation to appreciate and recognize the contributions made to it by its religious minorities. If this does not happen, the society becomes intolerant towards minorities which has grave consequences not just for the minorities but also for the majority community. In India, Jews happen to be the smallest religious minority and the Muslims, the biggest. As a result of their small numbers, most of the Indians know them only through secondary sources, which are mostly unreliable, and not as a result of any direct contact with them. Ignorance gives birth to stereotypes and misconceptions, and hatred thrives on falsehood. Hence, it becomes very important to promote Jewish Studies in India. If this is not done, we would neglect one-sixth of mankind.”
Anyway, the key to this obviously IS education. I just literally had no idea that India were such fans of Hitler and so horribly misinformed!
I know it may well be the case that Shah was just ignorant when it came to his shop name, but I still find it pretty creepy.
Let me know if you care, would you?!
L.
