This post originated from an RSS feed registered with Java Buzz by Scott Stirling. Original Post: Microsoft Caves to Ignorance, Removing Swastika Characters from Font Feed Title: Blaug Blawg Blog Feed URL: http://users.rcn.com/scottstirling/rss.xml Feed Description: Java Testing, Tools and Engineering Latest Java Buzz Posts Latest Java Buzz Posts by Scott Stirling Latest Posts From Blaug Blawg Blog

Saw a blurb about this mentioned in the latest issue of Tricyle.  Apparently Microsoft had some customers complain about the presence of swastika symbols in one of their fonts (Bookshelf Symbol 7), and so published an apology and a utility for replacing the font sans "unacceptable symbols." 

For some sketchy reason, the Star of David symbol is removed in the new version as well (see this PC Magazine story for the explanation).   The reason the explanation is sketchy is this: if they'd removed the swastikas, then it no longer mattered that the Star of David was "within one or two characters of the swastikas."

Of course, the swastika is an ancient Hindu symbol.  It's been in use for thousands of years in Hindu and Buddhist symbology. The hexagram we Westerners know as the Star of David is also an ancient Hindu sybmol.  Why did Microsoft have these characters in their font in the first place?  Maybe it was so people could use them when creating documents having anything to do with Judaism, Hinduism, religious symbols, World War II . . . the possibilities are many. It's too bad Microsoft didn't try to educate their customers rather than pander to their ignorance and fear.