U.S.-Picked Iraq Leaders Approve New Flag

Yahoo News/AP ^ | 4/26/04 | AP

[My2Cents]

U.S.-Picked Iraq Leaders Approve New Flag

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraq's U.S.-picked leaders approved a new flag for the country, making a dramatic change that dumps the Saddam Hussein-era colors and slogan "God is great" and introduces symbols of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, a spokesman said Monday.

The new flag is white, with two parallel blue strips across the bottom representing the rivers and a yellow stripe between them representing Iraq's Kurdish minority. Above the stripes is a blue crescent representing Islam.

Council spokesman, Hameed al-Kafaei, said the U.S.-picked council approved the design as the new official flag — though the artist was asked to touch up the color of the crescent, perhaps to a darker blue or a different color.

The old Iraq flag had red and black bands across the top and bottom, with a white band between them and three green stars. During the 1980s Iran-Iraq war, Saddam added the Arabic words "Allahu akbar," or "God is great," to boost the religious credentials of his secular regime.

"This is a new era," al-Kafaei said. "We cannot continue with Saddam's flag." An official declaration of the flag will come later this week, he said.

The new design appeared on the front pages of the Al-Sabah newspaper Monday, and Iraqis crowded around to check it out. "It is the real model as it represents all spectrum of the Iraqi society," said one man, Mohammed Faris.

But the dramatic change in a national symbol could raise some complaints — particularly since it came from U.S.-picked leaders seen by many Iraqis as American puppets. U.S. administrators have tried quietly in the past to change the flag by dropping the words "Allahu akbar," but Iraqis have refused to abide by the change.

One council member said the Iraqi leadership should wait for an elected government before altering such a major national symbol.

"In my opinion, it should be not be passed until we have a parliament," Mahmoud Othman said. "I think there are issues more important to concentrate on now than the changing of the flag."

[My2Cents]

The new flag is white....

Obviously inspired by the French flag.

[alancarp]

No bias here -- they just mentioned "US picked" or "US adminstered" at least four times.

[My2Cents]

If the US were driving every decision of the Iraqi governing council, this would have been the new Iraq flag --

[aShepard]

??Isn't the cresent colored UN Blue??

Subtle nuance?

[epluribus_2]

This must be a sick joke. I hope we don't fall for it. The two blue bars on white and a blue symbol are a parody of the flag of Israel. Look yourself. This is BAAAAAD.

[BigBobber]

...yellow stripe between them representing Iraq's Kurdish minority

I don't get this part. Why don't they just use Jesse Jackson's rainbow flag?

[tuckrdout]

If this isn't a hoax, then it is real bad, I agree.

Yellow represents the kurds?! No way! Kurds are tough.

[T Minus Four]

Here's the old flag;

[epluribus_2]

I bet this was proposed by some former saddamite who is just waiting to see it flying across the country then will use it as a rallying call against the "zionists". Our guys are not very good at... no they stink at dealing with bigtime liars and deceivers. Maybe they need to hire Clinton as an advisor to cope with what the bad guys are going to be dishonest about, next.

[T Minus Four]

Here's Isreal's flag. I'm not sure I see that much resemblance, except for the colors. Do you really think it's a deliberate parody attempt?

[beelzepug]

That'd look good on a can of nutmeg.

[Polybius]

This must be a sick joke. I hope we don't fall for it. The two blue bars on white and a blue symbol are a parody of the flag of Israel. Look yourself. This is BAAAAAD.

Agree. It seems to have been delibeartely designed as a poisoned pill.

The traditional colors should not have been abandoned in favor of (Israeli) blue.........and that's exactly what the fanatics will clain: "Israeli blue".

Some variation on the first Iraqi flags should have been chosen:

Flag of the Iraqi Kingdom ( 1921-1958 )

Flag of the first republic ( 1958-1963 )b>

[epluribus_2]

I think this is a deliberate attempt to make the council and the US look foolish. But even if it is not deliberate, it will accomplish those goals.

[WOSG]

Dittos on that!!!

[WOSG]

That first flag the 1921 one looks real nice.

The proposed new flag is a joke, very non-aesthetic.
I find the crescent a dangerous element too. note that none of the earlier flags felt the need for such symbolism.

[what's up]

I like it!

[BJungNan]

I don't see any resemblance to the flag of Israel. Tin foil hat time.

[Polybius]

I don't see any resemblance to the flag of Israel. Tin foil hat time.

You may not. However, picture yourself as an Islamist propagandist.

Traditional Iraqi colors of red, black, green and white (their colors since Iraq was a Kingdom in 1921) have been replaced by white and blue, the Israeli colors.

To an American, it would be like replacing the red, white and blue with a totally red flag except for a different symbol at the upper left hand corner.

Colors have symbolism and this flag's color choice seems like a deliberate attempt to sabotage support for a future Free Iraq.

[tet68]

It should be the flag of the first republic but with
two stars as it is the second republic.

[Grig]

Drive the Dems nuts, let them use this flag: