Flag of Iraq

Infobox flag
Name = Iraq

---

Use = 111111
Symbol =
Proportion = 2:3
Adoption = 22 January 2008
Design = A horizontal tricolour of red, white, and black charged with the "takbir" ["Allahu Akbar" (God is great) in Kufic script] in green centered on the white stripe.

The flag of Iraq ( _ar. علم العراق) has had five different designs since the Kingdom of Iraq was established in 1921. The current flag was adopted in 2008 for a year and is intended to be an interim measure until a permanent solution to the flag issue is found. Note that, as with other flags inscribed with Arabic script — in this case "Allahu Akbar" ("God is great") — the hoist is to the right of the obverse (front) of the flag.

History of the Iraqi flag

1921–1959

The original flag of Iraq was adopted in 1921. It was a black-white-green horizontal tricolour, with a red trapezoid (some variants have a triangle) extending from the mast side, inspired by the flag of the Arab Revolt. Two seven-point white stars on the triangle denoted the two principal peoples of the kingdom: the Arabs and the Kurds. The colours chosen for the new flag were those of the Hashemite leaders of the Arab Revolt who provided the country with its first king, and thus it is very similar to the flag of Jordan, another Hashemite Kingdom (this flag is also used by the monarchists in Iraq). -

1958

This flag was the flag of the Arab Federation, a confederation of the Kingdoms of Iraq and Jordan throughout its short existence. [http://iraqflag.parliament.iq/icor.php?name=iraqiflag&pa=showpage&pid=10] Use of this flag and the federation were both ended when Iraq became a republic towards the end of 1958-

1959–1963

Following Abdul Karim Qassim's 1958 revolution that deposed the monarchy, on 14 July 1959 Iraq adopted (Law 102 of 1959) a new flag that consisted black-white-green vertical tricolour with, in the middle of the white band, a red eight-pointed star with a yellow circle at its centre. The black and green represented pan-Arabism, the yellow sun representing the Kurdish minority, while the red star (of Ishtar) represented the Assyrian minority.

This version of the Iraqi national flag is currently allowed to be flown in the Kurdish minority region of Iraq, while the 1963-2007 versions of the Iraqi flag (with their Ba`thist and Pan-Arab associations) are not. [ [http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=36213 Today'S Zaman ] ] [ [http://memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=ia&ID=IA29306 MEMRI: Inquiry and Analysis Series - No. 293 ] ] -

1963–1991

After the Qassim government was overthrown, a new flag was adopted on 31 July 1963 (Law 28 of 1963). The new flag had three stripes, of red, white, and black, with three green stars in the white stripe. The green stars were originally placed there for the proposed, but never-consummated, union of Iraq with Egypt and Syria (United Arab Republic), which both had flags with two stars in the middle at the time. Theirs would have presumably changed into three had the union with Iraq been accomplished. By 1961, however, the Union between Syria and Egypt had already fallen apart. -

1991–2004

On 13 January 1991, the flag was changed again. The meaning of the three stars was changed from their original geographic meaning to representations of the three tenets of the Ba'ath party motto, "Wahda, Hurriyah, Ishtirakiyah" (Unity, Freedom, Socialism). Saddam Hussein decreed to place the Takbir (the words "Allaahu Akbar" (God is Great)) between the stars. It is said (though unconfirmed) that the words on the flag were in Saddam's own handwriting, and many interpreted the change as an attempt to garner wartime support from previously outlawed religious Iraqi leaders, to stop the disrespect of the Iraqi flag in Kuwait, and to garner support from the Islamic world in the period immediately precedingFact|date=March 2008 the first Gulf War, as he attempted to distance his government from its previous secularism which had kept Islamic fighters from being willing to fight for his regime. -

2004–2008

From 28 June 2004 [cite web
url=http://www.worldflags101.com/i/iraq-flag.aspx
title=Republic of Iraq flag
accessdate=2008-02-10
publisher=World flags 101] until 2008 a new flag similar to the one adopted in 1991 was used, but the text was changed from Saddam's alleged handwriting to traditional stylized Kufic script. -

2008 to present

On 21 January 2008, a new flag was confirmed by the Iraqi parliament. In this current version, the three stars were removed, while the Takbir was left written in green Kufic script.

The flag is controversial, as some Iraqis refuse to accept the legitimacy of a government whilst foreign troops remain active in Iraq, and thus "many ... reject the temporary flag". [http://english.aljazeera.net/English/archive/archive?ArchiveId=9233] [http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0324/p25s01-wome.html Iraq flag debate still flutters | csmonitor.com ] ] The New York Times reports that the flag design recently imposed is designed to be temporary and mentions that Iraqis have "expressed varying opinions about the new flag." [ [http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/23/world/middleeast/23iraq.html?_r=1&n=Top/Reference/Times%20Topics/Subjects/R/Religion%20and%20Belief)&oref=slogin Iraq Parliament Purges Hussein Vestiges on Flag - New York Times ] ] A referendum on a new permanent flag is expected by the end of 2008.

Flag proposal and controversy, 2004

On 26 April 2004 the Iraqi Governing Council (IGC) announced a new flag for post-Saddam Iraq. The IGC stated that from around 30 competing entries, it had chosen a design by the distinguished Iraqi artist-architect Rifat al-Chaderchi (a.k.a. Rifat Chadirji), who lives in London and is a brother of a member of the IGC.

The flag was white, which represents purity, with parallel blue-yellow-blue bands across the bottom quarter or third; the blue bands represented the Tigris and the Euphrates rivers, and the yellow represented Iraq's Kurdish minority (the reason for this symbolism was unclear, but the flag of Kurdistan does feature a yellow sun). In the middle of the white field was a large Islamic crescent which was, unusually, depicted in a shade of blue.

The design marked a notable break with the colours used in most other Arab flags, which have lengthy histories—green and black are used to represent Islam and red is used to represent Arab nationalism. Islamic crescents are usually depicted in green or red in Arab heraldry. The new flag's predominantly blue-on-white appearance immediately led to controversy in Iraq because of its resemblance to the flag of Israel, with whom Iraq has had considerable antagonism. Other critics lamented the omission of the traditional colours of Pan-Arabism and the omission of the phrase "Allahu Akbar".

The new flag was reported to have been burned by insurgents in Fallujah on 27 April 2004, the day before its planned official adoption.

On 28 April 2004, Governing Council President Massoud Barzani formally presented a modified version of the flag in which the originally very light shade of blue as reported by the press on 26 April 2004 had been changed to a darker tone; it was unclear whether this was a change made because of the protests made against the original design or, as the Council claimed, a rectification of printing errors in the earlier news reports. He also explained that the flag was a temporary design, to be used over the ensuing months until the adoption of a definitive flag.

In the face of the controversy, adoption of the blue crescent flag was abandoned. At the handover ceremony on 28 June 2004 a slightly modified version of the 1991 flag was used, retaining the "Allahu akbar" but with a stylized script replacing the handwriting. [ [http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/06/28/iraq.handover/ CNN.com - U.S. returns sovereignty to Iraq - Jun 28, 2004 ] ] -

Flag proposals, 2008

In January 2008, a new design was proposed, removing the Ba'ath party insignia, instead placing a green 8-pointed star around a yellow circle in the middle of "Allahu Akbar", which is written in the Kufic script, which is prized as a Mesopotamian Arabic style, and for having originated in what is now Iraq. [cite web | url=http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18049763 | title=Iraq to Restore Former Baath Party Followers | last=Garrels | first=Anne | accessdate=2008-01-24 | publisher=National Public Radio | date=2008-01-12 ]

Another design was also proposed. This design was similar to the current flag but the script was changed to yellow to represent the Kurdish people in northern Iraq. The meaning of the three stars would be changed to symbolize peace, tolerance and justice. [cite web | url=http://www.radionetherlands.nl/currentaffairs/080115-new-iraq-flag | title=Iraq's new flag half satisfies everyone | publisher=Radio Netherlands | accessdate=2008-01-24 | date=2008-01-15 | last=Charif | first=Chalaan ]

On 22 January 2008, a new flag was confirmed by the Iraqi parliament. In this iteration, the three stars were removed, while the Takbir was left written in green Kufic script. This will be flown for one year until the final one is agreed on. -

Flag contest, 2008

In July 2008, the Iraqi parliament started a contest to design the new Iraqi flag; the contest ran until September 2008, with 50 designs submitted. A committee was to pick the best three designs, of which the parliament would choose the winning design in November 2008. [ [http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gwBg5fmBBYon3LTK0CBQlE6UgFpgD934LSL02 Iraq's parliament to pick new flag in November] Associated Press, September 11, 2008]

ee also

*Assyrian flag
*Kurdish flag

Notes

External links

* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7203222.stm Iraq parliament approves new flag]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3660663.stm Iraq unveils new national flag] (BBC)
* [http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/94E338BA-2CAF-4267-A9FC-5C425A108CE1.htm Controversial new Iraqi flag unfurled] (al-Jazeera)
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3663387.stm Iraqis unimpressed by flag design] (BBC; refers to the sibling relationship between the al-Chaderchis, accusations of nepotism)
* [http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0428-03.htm Burning with anger: Iraqis infuriated by new flag that was designed in London] "(The Independent," reaction of Iraqis, sibling relationship)
* [http://www.arabic-radio-tv.com/Iq_flags.htm Flags of Modern Iraq] " (Arabic-Radio-TV," The Flags of Modern Iraq (1921 - present)
*
* [http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/23/world/middleeast/23iraq.html?bl&ex=1201323600&en=a0708912c54bf08f&ei=5087%0A New York Times article on new flag]