The New York Times-20080127-8 Decades- 7 Iraqi Flags

Return to: The_New_York_Times-20080127

8 Decades, 7 Iraqi Flags

Full Text (563  words)

In World War I, Britain enticed Hussein, the sherif, or protector, of Mecca, to head a revolt against Ottoman rule across the Arabian Peninsula, in hopes that he would become the new caliph of all Islam. The British diplomat Mark Sykes designed a red, black, green and white banner for Hussein's son Faisal to fight under. After victory, Britain and France carved the region into separate new nations, and those colors, in varying patterns, came to fly over many Arab capitals. In Iraq, the colors have endured through the decades, but the design has changed again and again -- most recently last week -- like chapter headings in a tempestuous history.

Britain's Kingdom 1924-1958

After France evicted Hussein's son Faisal from Syria, Britain set him up as king in Iraq. He ruled until 1958, flying a variant of the flag of the Arab Revolt; it closely resembled the one flown next door by his brother Abdullah, who became king of Jordan, and also the one later adopted by the Palestinian national movement. In Iraq's version, two white stars in a foreshortened red triangle stood for Arabs and Kurds.

The Generals' Republic

1959-1963 British sway over Iraq ended when the monarchy was overthrown in a bloody military coup in 1958; the generals adopted an entirely new flag, keeping the Arab nationalist colors but turning the horizontal lines vertical and placing a yellow sun in the middle to represent Iraq's Kurds.

The Arabs' Dream 1963-1991

By 1963, Egypt's Gamal Abdel Nasser had made pan-Arab socialism the dream of the day. Iraq adopted the red-white-black template in use in Egypt and Syria, and put three stars in the center to signify a dream of eventual union with them. Later, the stars were interpreted as three ideals of the Baath Party under Saddam Hussein -- unity, freedom and socialism, none of which were fully realized.

The Dictator's Prayer 1991-2004

In January 1991, with American-led coalition forces on his border about to drive his invasion forces out of Kuwait, the hitherto secular Saddam Hussein decided to write a reference to Islam on the flag, so he added a one-line incantation -- Allahu akbar (God is great) -- between the stars, and Iraqis took it to be his handwriting. He lost the war, but kept the flag.

The Flag That Never Flew 2004

After American invasion forces ousted Mr. Hussein five years ago, the Iraqi Governing Council sought designs for a flag that would convey a clean break with the past. Its choice featured the Islamic crescent, but in colors reminiscent of Israel's blue-and-white flag. Iraqis rejected it before it could fly.

De-Saddamification 2004-2008

Instead of the new design, the national flag in use since 2004 became a modification of Mr. Hussein's -- retaining the homage to Islam, but in a Kufic script that dates from ancient Mesopotamia. This removed the inscription a step from Mr. Hussein's banner.

De-Baathification 2008

The change of script did not satisfy Iraq's Kurds. Still associating the stars with Baathism, they banned the flag from territory they controlled and flew their own flag. And they demanded more changes if the national flag were to fly over an international conference of Arab legislators in Kurdish territory this year. Unable to agree on a permanent revision, the government decided that pan-Arab stripes with the Kufic inscription but no stars will have to do for a year.