Is Uber a Hinduphobic? Bans Hindu woman over her name Swastika in Australia

In yet another incident proving that the Hinduphobia is real, the Uber has banned a 35-year-old woman in Australia from using any of her services over her first name ‘Swastika’.

Notably, Swastika/ Swastik are a common name in India because the Swastika symbol is an integral part of the Hindu faith. It symbolizes good fortune and prosperity in the ancient Sanskrit language.

 

The young mother stated that throughout her formative years in Fiji, she frequently heard the name called in class. It is a country with a large Indian population and Swastika is a popular name among them. She expressed, “It is a very common name. I know four or five other girls with the same name. In school, we had two or three other girls with the same name. It means good luck. It means good things to me.”

"I was putting in an order for food one afternoon and went to the payment stage and this pop-up came up saying, 'Your first name is in violation and you need to change your name on the app,'" she told A Current Affair, an Australian TV programme.

Chandra said she was proud of her name while acknowledging the fact that it was associated with Adolf Hitler's Nazi Party. She also said that she would not change her name for anyone.

"It is a very common name. I know four or five other girls with the same name," she said.

Chandra said she was able to use her name on her birth certificate, her Australian citizenship certificate, her healthcare card and her driving licence without any issues.

"They don’t know that the Hindus used it for thousands of years before Hitler used it in the wrong way," she said.

In a statement to news.com.au, Uber said it apologised to Chandra and said its review of the issue took longer than it expected. "Uber is committed to facilitating a safe and welcoming environment for all users," the company said.

"For that reason, Uber has a global policy of restricting access to users whose names entered into the Uber app contain potentially offensive words," it said.

After five months, Uber has conceded, expressed regret and offered her permission to re-join the platform. However, it required the assistance of the New South Wales attorney general, the Jewish community, The Hindu Council and Australia’s leading Hindu organisation to intervene.