NEWS: A New Flag for Iraq

The Iraq governing council just approved a new flag that was designed by an Iraqi artist. Some are saying that it is time for a new flag as they say the old one represents Saddam's regime. Others think it should wait until a new government is elected before changing it and some are happy with the old flag.

Iraq's New Flag

The blue stripes represent the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and - because the river basin is Iraq's Arab heartland - therefore symbolize the country's Sunni and Shiite Arabs. The yellow stripe represents Iraq's ethnic Kurd minority, taking its color from the yellow star on the flag of Kurdistan.

Above the stripes, in a white field, is a blue crescent of Islam.

Some info on the history of the old flag:

In Arabic nations, the colors of flags have widely recognized meanings.

Green, white and black denote Islam - harkening back to the battle banners of the medieval Islamic dynasties of the Fatimids, Ummayads and Abbasids. Green is said to have been the prophet Muhammad's favorite color; the Saudi, Libyan, Algerian and Mauritanean flags are completely or largely green.

Islamic crescents in Arab heraldry are usually green or red.

Red, meanwhile, points to Arab nationalism. It was the color of the Sharif Hussein, who led the Arab revolt against Ottoman Turkish rule in the early 1900s, and he added it to a flag of green, white and black stripes to create a symbol of pan-Arabism.

Hussein's banner was the basis for the Jordanian, Palestinian and Syrian flags - as well as the old Iraqi one.

Links:
BBC
Aljazeera
The Guardian


[Edited on 4-26-2004 by Valhall]

i dont know....i don't like it. it looks too.......what's the word i'm looking for? gay? yup. that's it. y don't they just change back to the old flag. the one before saddam?

This was the flag from 1921�1958


There are a couple of others also.
I think the one from 1963 on up is the better one.

www.flaggenlexikon.de...

Why does the yellow have to be bigger? Is this somekind of Kurd thing?

Originally posted by silQ
what's the word i'm looking for? gay? yup. that's it...

Why's it gotta be gay? I think it looks just FABULOUS! Anything with a big crescent moon on it...

OH this is ATSNN! Thought I was at BTS. Sorry.

DC

AceofBase...when you update the original it knocks it off of ATSNN!

lol

Send me a u2u when you edit and I'll know to review and upgrade.

Oh, didn't know that.
I just wanted to add some links to it as you normally do with news articles.

It looks submissive. The old flag had dominant colors. Are they trying to psychologically repress the people of Iraq?
The colors are mute pastels. No longer harsh vivid hues.
Says something about the unwanted occupation of a country, doesn't it?
EDIT:Almost forgot...the Iraqi artist who "designed the flag" was probably holed up in a cramped studio with Rumsfeld for weeks.

[Edited on 4-26-2004 by darklanser]

Since they've changed the Iraqui flag, how about changing the US one too, just to be fair

IMO, the decision to change the national flag of iraq should wait until a new goverment is in place, a goverment that should be elected by the people of iraq...and not from other countries....

Originally posted by Pisky
Since they've changed the Iraqui flag, how about changing the US one too, just to be fair

Nah, we can just add one more star to ours....

Some new info on the flag:

Abu Ibrahim of Nasriyah says the design by Rifat Chaderchi was probably chosen because he is related to Governing Council member Naseer Chaderchi.

"We had over 30 designs to choose from for our new flag. Surprise, surprise he chose his younger brother's design which a lot of Iraqis say resembles the Israeli flag! Iraq is still a corrupt state."

news.bbc.co.uk...

I find it extremely ironic that the United States would not allow them to have the words "God is Great" on the flag.
I guess they aren't supposed to have it since it is muslim, and they aren't supposed to believe in it.

Many said the light blue stripes were reminiscent of the light blue bands on the Israeli flag. Hundreds of university students in Mosul demonstrated against that version Wednesday.

They waved the old Saddam-era flag - a red, black and green banner emblazoned with the words "God is great" - and said it should not have been changed because it carries the name of God.

customwire.ap.org...

So, the nation building begins. We're so good at it. Just ask the Somalis and the Haitians and the Afghanis.

Into this mix comes the Rev. Pat Robertson, who suggests that, whatever form the new Iraqi government takes, it be kept secular.

President Bush should put church-state separation "at the very top of its agenda," he said.

America should not allow an Islamic state, he said on his 700 Club show in March. We don't need any more Irans.

....

Keep that wall of separation between church and state high, wide and thick.

Of course, there's an irony here. If there weren't, would I be writing about it?

The irony is that the wall of separation Brother Pat wants in Iraq is the same one he's trying to tear down back home.

I guess it's OK to separate church and state when the church is Islam.

My bet is that if Iraq had a Christian majority, he'd be whistling a different tune out of the other side of his theological mouth.

www.thetimesherald.com...

"undreds of university students in Mosul demonstrated against that version Wednesday"

Actually I find this to be a very encouraging sign. It means that they basicly accept the idea of a new flag (and by extension, the new government) and are excercising their rights to shape that government, albiet in the crude fasion of a protest.

It would be a bigger problem if they just ignored the new government.

When Americans think of their flag they hearken back to olden times with Betsy Ross sewing on the last star to make it official.

Now the Iraqi's will get to think of their benevolent American masters when they look up at the flag pole. They will think of Bremner, shock and awe, Falluja and Najaf. They will think of occupation and things (even as small as a new flag) being shoved down their throats, with no one asking for any it. They will think of all their dead friends and families while watching it flutter in their newly �freed� country.

Why did they have to change it in the first place? This came out of left field for me. Just something else to stir up the pot. While it was bubbling quite vigorously to begin with.

I'd be quite cheesed if someone came in and conquered my country and changed the flag. What gives Americans the right to do so? Oh don't tell me, a huge military and American ego. Might makes right, right?!?


[Edited on 29-4-2004 by Thanatos]

The Daily Show's John Stewart on the new Flag:
(It's a comedy news show in the States for those who don't know)

www.comedycentral.com.../multimedia/tds/headlines/8133.html

A lot of good clips at their site:
www.comedycentral.com...

[Edited on 30-4-2004 by AceOfBase]