Iraq Parliament Purges Hussein Vestiges on Flag
NYT:
BAGHDAD — Iraqi lawmakers adopted a modified version of the national flag on Tuesday, removing three stars that symbolized the Baathist ideals of unity, freedom and socialism, and Saddam Hussein’s handwritten calligraphy of the Koranic incantation –Allahu akbar.”
The incantation, which means God is great, will remain on the flag, though it will now be written in a different calligraphic style.
Members of Parliament voted 110 to 50 for the flag, which was introduced in 2004 and bears the red, white and black stripes of Iraq’s original banner. The design preserves a sense of continuous national identity, while purging the flag of Baathist allusions, supporters say.
Here are Iraq’s flags 1963-2008:
1991-2004
Approved Jan 2008
1963-1991
2004-2008
And the aborted proposal from 2004:
