China's 'Shein' faces backlash for selling Swastika pendants as fashion accessory

China’s online clothing website Shein is facing a lot of backlash for selling religious products as decorative items or fashion accessories. Recently, it was brought to customers’ attention by another clothing brand that Shein is selling Swastika, which is a religious symbol in the form of pendants for a necklace. The brand also shared a screenshot from the website selling Swastika pendants. 

Importance of Swastika as a religious symbol

In the caption of the post, the brand wrote, "The swastika dates back to ancient times and still holds particular significance in religions like Hinduism and Buddhism, but since the 1930s, it’s been appropriated in a clockwise direction as an anti-Semitic symbol of the Nazi party. There have been social movements that attempted to reclaim the symbol, which still appears on religious buildings all over the world, though none have found great success. With the resurgence of open, unabashed white supremacy, it’s doubtful we’d ever see the swastika returned to its origins as a symbol of peace in the West." In Hindu literature, Swastika is considered as a symbol of peace and the literal meaning of Swastika in Sanskrit means 'peace'. 

Also Read| Why is Shein still working? The online shopping platform is still accepting orders

China's Shein facing a backlash by customers

Also Read| Shein breaks silence on being banned in India; says it's preparing compliance documents

Shein issued an official apology after facing backlash to sell Islamic mats as rugs

Earlier, Shein issued a public apology after they sold Islamic prayer mats as 'decorative trim' carpets. On their official Instagram handle, the brand offered its 'apology' and said that it was a 'highly insensitive oversight'. The product has now been removed from the website. China's Shein attracted a lot of hatred and outrage after their 'ignorance' towards religious sentiments.

Also Read| China proposes to add 55 more animals to its Conservation list amid backlash

Shein's Apology

"To our community — we made a serious mistake recently by selling prayer mats as decorative rugs on our site. We understand this is a highly offensive oversight and are truly sorry. Since it was brought to our attention, we immediately removed the products from our site and asked our vendor to stop selling to others. We also formed a product review committee with staff from different cultures and religions so a mistake like this doesn't happen again. As a global brand, we vow to do a much better job in educating ourselves on different cultures, religions, and traditions to ensure our diverse community is respected and honoured," Shein wrote in its apology. "We offer our sincerest apology to all whom we have hurt and offended, and hope we can earn your forgiveness."

Also Read| China's Shein Faces Backlash After Selling Prayer Mats As 'fringe' Rugs, Apologises