Flag of Iraq

Use	National flag and ensign. The design and description of Flags typically uses specialised flag terminology' with precise and technical meanings and is hence a form of Jargon. A national flag is a Flag that symbolises a country The flag is flown by the government but usually can be flown by Citizens of that country as well
Proportion	2:3
Adopted	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. Events 565 - Eutychius is deposed as Patriarch of Constantinople by John Scholasticus. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common A tricolour or tricolor (three colours is a Flag or Banner more-or-less equally divided (horizontally vertically or less frequently diagonally The takbīr or takbeer (ar تَكْبِير is the act of saying the phrase, ar الله أكبر Kufic is the oldest calligraphic form of the various Arabic scripts and consists of a modified form of the old Nabataean script.

The flag of Iraq (Arabic: علم العراق‎) has had five different designs since Iraq was established in 1921. Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iraq topics. Year 1921 ( MCMXXI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1921 calendar of the Gregorian calendar 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. A flag is a piece of Cloth, often flown from a pole or mast, generally used Symbolically for signaling or identification 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common 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. The Arabic alphabet is the script used for writing several languages of Asia and Africa such as Arabic, Persian, and Urdu. The takbīr or takbeer (ar تَكْبِير is the act of saying the phrase, ar الله أكبر The design and description of Flags typically uses specialised flag terminology' with precise and technical meanings and is hence a form of Jargon.

History of the Iraqi flag

1921–1959

1921–1959 (ratio: 1:2)

The original flag of Iraq was adopted in 1921, when the country was formed. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iraq topics. 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. The Flag of the Arab Revolt was a Flag used by Arab nationalists during the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire in the First World War 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). Hashemite is the Latinate version of the Arabic: هاشمي ( Transliteration: Hāšimī and traditionally refers to those belonging to the Banu Hashim The Arab Revolt (1916&ndash1918 ( الثورة العربية Al-Thawra al-`Arabīya) was initiated by the Sherif Hussein ibn Ali with the aim of securing The national flag of Jordan ( علم الأردن) is based on the Flag of the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire during World War I

1959–1963

1959-1963 (ratio: 1:2)

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. Abd al-Karim Qasim (عبد الكريم قاسم) (1914 – February 9 1963 was a nationalist Iraqi Military officer who seized power in a 1958 Events 1223 - Louis VIII becomes King of France upon the death of his father Philip II of France. The year 1959 ( MCMLIX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The black and green represented pan-Arabism, the yellow sun representing the Kurdish minority, while the red star (of Ishtar) represented the Assyrian minority. Pan-Arabism is a movement for Unification among the peoples and countries of the Arab World, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Ishtar ( D IŠTAR 𒀭𒌋𒁯 is the Assyrian and Babylonian counterpart to the Sumerian Inanna and to The Assyrians are an Ethnic group whose origins lie in what is today Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria.

This version of the Iraqi national flag is currently allowed to be flown in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, while the 1963-2007 versions of the Iraqi flag (with their Ba`thist and Pan-Arab associations) are not. Iraqi Kurdistan Region ( Kurdish: هه رێمى كوردستان Herêmi Kurdistan, Arabic:إقليم كردستان العراق, Iqlĩm Kurdistãn ^[1][2]

1963–1991

1963–1991 (ratio: 2:3)

After the Qassim government was overthrown, a new flag was adopted on 31 July 1963 (Law 28 of 1963). Events 30 BC - Battle of Alexandria: Mark Antony achieves a minor victory over Octavian 's forces but most of his army subsequently Year 1963 ( MCMLXIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. 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. This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. Syria ( سوريّة or) officially the Syrian Arab Republic (Arabic ar الجمهورية العربية السورية The United Arab Republic ( الجمهورية العربية المتحدة al-Jumhūrīyah al-‘Arabīyah al-Muttaḥidah / al-Jumhūrīyah al-‘Arabīyah 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

1991–2004 (ratio: 2:3)

Saddam Hussein and the 1991 flag. Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti ( Arabic: ar صدام حسين عبد المجيد التكريتي --> April 28 1937 &ndash December 30

On 13 January 1991, the flag was changed again. Events 532 - Nika riots in Constantinople. 888 - Odo Count of Paris becomes King of the Franks Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar. 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). The Arab Socialist Ba'th Party (also spelled Baath or Ba'ath; Arabic: حزب البعث العربي الاشتراكي was founded in Damascus Saddam Hussein decreed to place the Takbir (the words Allaahu Akbar (God is Great)) between the stars. Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti ( Arabic: ar صدام حسين عبد المجيد التكريتي --> April 28 1937 &ndash December 30 The takbīr or takbeer (ar تَكْبِير is the act of saying the phrase, ar الله أكبر 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 stop the disrespect of the Iraqi flag in Kuwait, and to garner support from the Islamic world in the period immediately preceding 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

2004–2008, Flag of Iraq with stylized Kufic script (ratio: 2:3)

From June 28, 2004^[3] 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. Kufic is the oldest calligraphic form of the various Arabic scripts and consists of a modified form of the old Nabataean script. Events 1098 - Fighters of the First Crusade defeat Kerbogha of Mosul. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Kufic is the oldest calligraphic form of the various Arabic scripts and consists of a modified form of the old Nabataean script.

2008 to present

2008-present: interim flag of Iraq (ratio: 2:3)

On 21 January 2008, a new flag was confirmed by the Iraqi parliament. Events 1189 - Philip II of France and Richard I of England begin to assemble troops to wage the Third Crusade. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common In this current version, the three stars were removed, while the Takbir was left written in green Kufic script. The takbīr or takbeer (ar تَكْبِير is the act of saying the phrase, ar الله أكبر

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". ^{[4] [5]} 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. " ^[6] A referendum on a new permanent flag is expected by the end of 2008. ^[7]

Flag proposal and controversy, 2004

Proposed flag, 2004 (later abandoned)

On 26 April 2004 the Iraqi Governing Council (IGC) announced a new flag for post-Saddam Iraq. Events 1467 - The miraculous image in Our Lady of Good Counsel appear in Genazzano, Italy. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " The Iraqi Governing Council (IGC was the provisional government of Iraq from July 13, 2003 to June 1, A national flag is a Flag that symbolises a country The flag is flown by the government but usually can be flown by Citizens of that country as well 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, 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). The Tigris is the eastern member of the two great Rivers that define Mesopotamia, along with the Euphrates, which flows from the mountains of southeastern The Euphrates ( ( Arabic: ar نهر الفرات; Turkish: tr Fırat Syriac: syr ܦܪܬ; Hebrew: he פרת The Kurdish flag (also flag of Kurdistan, Kurdish: Alaya Kurdistanê, also called Alay Rengîn ("the colorful flag" first appeared In the middle of the white field was a large Islamic crescent which was, unusually, depicted in a shade of blue. For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. For things named Crescent see Crescent (disambiguation. In art and symbolism a crescent is generally the shape produced when a

A comparison of the flags of some of Iraq's neighbours, Iraq's older flags, and the proposed flag.

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. The araB gene Promoter is a bacterial promoter activated by e L-arabinose binding For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. Arab nationalism ( Arabic: القومية العربية is a Nationalist ideology which rose to prominence amongst Arabs from the early 20th century onwards 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. List of flags of Israel The flag of Israel was adopted on October 28, 1948, five months after the country's establishment Other critics lamented the omission of the traditional colours of Pan-Arabism and the omission of the phrase Allahu Akbar. Pan-Arabism is a movement for Unification among the peoples and countries of the Arab World, from the Atlantic Ocean to the

The new flag was reported to have been burned by insurgents in Fallujah on 27 April 2004, the day before its planned official adoption. Flag desecration is a term applied to various acts that intentionally deface a Flag, most often a National flag (though other flags can be defaced as well For other meanings see Fallujah (disambiguation. Fallujah (الفلوجة sometimes transliterated Events 1124 - David I becomes King of Scotland. 1296 - Battle of Dunbar: The Scots are defeated "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again "

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. Events 1192 - Assassination of Conrad of Montferrat (Conrad I King of Jerusalem, in Tyre, two days after his title "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Masoud Barzani ( Kurdish: مسعودبارزانی Mesûd Barzanî (born August 16, 1946) is the current President of the Autonomous Kurdish Events 1467 - The miraculous image in Our Lady of Good Counsel appear in Genazzano, Italy. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " 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. Events 1098 - Fighters of the First Crusade defeat Kerbogha of Mosul. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " ^[8]

Flag proposals, 2008

Initial proposal, 2008

Second proposal, 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 (for Kurdistan) 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. The Arab Socialist Ba'th Party (also spelled Baath or Ba'ath; Arabic: حزب البعث العربي الاشتراكي was founded in Damascus ^[9]

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. ^[10]

On 22 January 2008, a new flag was confirmed by the Iraqi parliament. Events 565 - Eutychius is deposed as Patriarch of Constantinople by John Scholasticus. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common In this iteration, the three stars were removed, while the Takbir was left written in green Kufic script. The takbīr or takbeer (ar تَكْبِير is the act of saying the phrase, ar الله أكبر This will be flown for one year until the final one is agreed on.

See also

• Assyrian flag
• Kurdish flag

Notes

External links

• Iraq parliament approves new flag
• Iraq unveils new national flag (BBC)
• Controversial new Iraqi flag unfurled (al-Jazeera)
• Iraqis unimpressed by flag design (BBC; refers to the sibling relationship between the al-Chaderchis, accusations of nepotism)
• Burning with anger: Iraqis infuriated by new flag that was designed in London (The Independent, reaction of Iraqis, sibling relationship)
• Flags of Modern Iraq (Arabic-Radio-TV, The Flags of Modern Iraq (1921 - present)
• Iraq at Flags of the World
• New York Times article on new flag