What’s in a name? Faith leaders, NSW government ask Uber to reconsider ‘Swastika’ Hindu name ban

The NSW government and Australia’s peak Hindu body have taken up a case of a young mother to Uber. The issue? Uber wouldn’t let Sydney-based Swastika Chandra use the app.

Ms Chandra’s name was flagged as “invalid” and a breach of policy in October, but Uber have since said they have made an exception in her case. Picture: Sarah Matray

The NSW government and Australia’s peak Hindu body have taken up the case of a young mother in her battle with multinational company Uber.

The issue? Uber would not let Sydney-based Swastika Chandra use its app, flagging her name as offensive and a breach of policy, given its Nazi connotations.

“I’m not going to change my name … it was given to me by a priest,” Ms Chandra said, explaining she is from Fiji, had been in Australia for 20 years and used Uber for at least two years.

“It’s been stressful and time-consuming (to get it resolved).”

Ms Chandra’s name in Hinduism can mean spirituality and divinity – it’s a sacred symbol.

“In October, I put in an Uber request and suddenly got told that my name was a violation of its terms of use and I needed to change it,” she said.

After the onset of the Israel-Hamas war, Uber introduced new guidelines on words that could be offensive and Ms Chandra has been inadvertently caught in the middle of an intended goodwill policy.

The state’s peak Jewish body is backing Ms Chandra, saying the case was clearly not hate speech.

In correspondence to Ms Chandra, an employee said while Uber understood the “cultural significance” of her name, it noted the “sensitivity surrounding historical events … and the symbol’s appropriation by the Nazis”.

A screenshot taken on March 26, where the app said Swastika’s name was “invalid”.

Since mid-October, Uber has said Ms Chandra's first name breached company policy, meaning she can’t access services.

Ms Chandra has a two-year-old daughter, lives in Sydney’s western suburbs, where public transport is not as extensive as the CBD, and currently doesn’t drive, which has compounded the issue.

“When I went to the grocery shops I would rely on Uber to travel there and back, and other occasions,” she said. “I work an hour away from my home, and if I needed to get back in an emergency, I would order an Uber.”

Ms Chandra’s case had been taken up by the Hindu Council of Australia and other faith leaders who brought it to the attention of the state government, which is helping resolve the impasse.

An Uber spokeswoman said it had agreed in mid-March to make an exception for Ms Chandra. Given it was a global policy and system, however, changes could take time to come into effect.

“Uber is committed to facilitating a safe and welcoming environment,” she said. “For that reason, Uber has a policy of restricting access to users whose names entered into the app contain potentially offensive words.”

She said the company understood there were cultural nuances to names and it evaluated such instances case by case, deciding to reinstate Ms Chandra’s access to the app.

However, as of Tuesday afternoon, her name was still being shown as “invalid”.

NSW Attorney-General Michael Daley, whose office has been trying to resolve the issue. Picture: Nikki Short

A spokesman for NSW Attorney-General Michael Daley urged Uber to “fast-track” Ms Chandra’s exemption.

Religious leaders who had taken up her case said it showed companies must consider the nuances of Australia’s multicultural society.

“The use of Nazi symbols is banned, but when it (‘Swastika’) is used as a matter of faith, or in this case, it’s free to be used,” Hindu Council vice-president Surinder Jain said, adding it was a common Hindu name in Fiji.

“The Jewish community has told me they have no objection for her to use her name … it seems as if Uber is going by some list (of banned words) and it’s a blanket rule.”

NSW Jewish Board of Deputies president David Ossip said: “It goes without saying that discretion should be exercised and Ms Chandra should be permitted to access Uber.”

Hindu Council of Australia national vice president Surinder Jain.

Faith NSW CEO Murray Norman.

Faith NSW CEO Murray Norman said the exclusion took aim at Ms Chandra’s “sense of identity” and was a reminder of the education needed on Australia’s faiths, including sacred symbols.

“We all have a responsibility to ensure that we are respectful of people’s backgrounds and faiths,” Mr Norman said. “This extends to businesses and organisations that need to ensure they are being inclusive and understanding of all faiths and cultures.”

NSW Taxis CEO Nick Abrahim said rank cabs would welcome Ms Chandra with open doors.

“It’s disappointing to hear that someone is being held back and restricted from accessing transport because of their name,” he said. “As the old saying goes, ‘it’s all in the name’. It’s given to us at birth, are we now going to hold that against people?”