Students stage protest against new Iraqi flag in Mosul

Wed Apr 28, 2004

MOSUL, Iraq (AFP) - Students in this northern Iraqi city took to the streets to protest the new Iraqi flag, shouting slogans slamming the United States and the US-appointed Iraqi interim Governing Council.

More than 1,000 demonstrators gathered around a giant 32-meter-long copy of the old flag at Mosul University and shouted "We will not sell our flag."

The new flag, which was being publicly unveiled Wednesday, is made up of two blue stripes representing the Tigris and Euphrates rivers separated by a yellow stripe symbolizing Iraq's Kurdish minority. The stripes are topped by a white space featuring an Islamic crescent in the middle.

Many Iraqis have strongly criticized it, complaining that it does not sufficiently represent Iraqi civilization and its Arab majority, gives too much importance to the Kurdish minority, and that its pale blue color makes it look like Israel's flag.
They are furious that the new flag will no longer feature the colors red (for nationalism), white (for peace), and black and green (for Islam), nor the three stars which they viewed as symbolizing Iraq's modern history.

Attached is Amerika's new flag...hope you do nothings love this just as much as your loving government.

The Nazi regime was replaced and their flag was replaced. Ditto with Baathist fascists.

To be replaced by ANOTHER Nazi regime.

IDIOT.

Some poor soul who doesn't understand the main point, wrote:

"The Nazi regime was replaced and their flag was replaced. Ditto with Baathist fascists."

The NATIONAL COLORS of Iraq have been red, white, green, and black since 1921... LONG BEFORE the Baathists and Saddam! Those colors represented being a part of the Arab nation. The new flag introduced by the current occupiers is BLUE AND WHITE, with a stripe of yellow.

As for the Nazis... your point is way off the mark. Yes, the Nazi flag was destroyed... but Germany's NATIONAL COLORS of black, red, and gold were NOT abolished as is the case with Iraq!

Germany used black, red, and gold as it's national colors in the early 19th century, and the colors were officially declared to be the national colors in 1848... pre-dating the Nazis. When Hitler and his goons came to power they made their Nazi Party flag an important symbol... but they did NOT abolish the national colors of black, red, and gold. Rather, the Nazi flag was flown alongside the traditional colored banner of black, red, and gold.

For an occupying power to ABOLISH a country's national colors is to rob a people of their history, identity, and heritage. It is a barbaric act that the occupied will never forgive or forget.

There is simply NO EXCUSE or justification for the U.S. occupiers to change Iraqi's national colors. The U.S. did not do this to defeated German or Japan!