The Iraqi flag will no longer boast Saddam HusseinÂ’s handwritten praise to God nor its distinctive three stars, the Parliament decided yesterday. The house passed a new flag law by 110 votes to 50 which will change the appearance of the standard but keep its horizontal red, white and black stripes.
Instead of the executed dictator’s handwritten “Allaho Akbar” (God is Greatest), the phrase will be printed in green on the central white stripe in the Kufi form of Arabic script, Parliament ruled. The three green stars, which symbolised unity, freedom and socialism will also be dropped. Under an earlier proposal, the stars were to be kept but the symbolism changed to represent peace, tolerance and justice. Before being given new meaning by the Baath party, the stars had represented Arab unity between Iraq, Syria and Egypt. Ethnic Kurds in particular had wanted the flag changed as it symbolised the Saddam-era regime that launched campaigns of persecution in which thousands were killed with poison gas. |