Confusing Signs

By Carolyn Sayre

Hindus are protesting Germany's move to forbid the swastika in the European Union--a ban that already exists in some countries because of the symbol's link to Nazism, right. But the hooked cross has also been a Hindu sign of peace, above, for 5,000 years. Symbols often have multiple sides.

Red Crystal On Jan. 14, the Red Cross adopted its third emblem after years of criticism that the organization's other symbols--the cross and the crescent--were too religious

V Peace Sign Peace may be a universal concept, but its symbol is ambiguous. In Britain, making the sign with your palm facing out means peace, but with your palm facing in, the gesture is an insult

Confederate Flag Prideful or racist? On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Senator Joseph Biden stirred up a long-standing debate when he said the flag should be removed from South Carolina's statehouse

Peace Sign This symbol wasn't always so placating. Before its revival during the 1960s' antiwar movement, it was used as an anti-Christian symbol in the ancient Roman Empire