FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY

The use of flags as part of our identity has diminished significantly in the West. Some people now have so little respect for their national flag that they intentionally burn it — as part of “Free Speech.”

These flags are representative of individual countries/territories — others may represent specific organizations. People should remember that every flag carries its own meaning and history. For the Irish flag: "The white in the centre signifies a lasting truce between Orange and Green and I trust that beneath its folds the hands of Irish Protestants and Irish Catholics may be clasped in generous and heroic brotherhood."

The Scottish Flag is the St Andrew Cross. The Welsh red dragon is a military symbol and represents Welsh independence. (The Tudor colours of green and white were added in 1485.) The Union Jack is a combination of the St George Cross (UK), the St Andrew Cross (Scotland) and the St Patrick Cross (now Northern Ireland.) Curiously the Union Jack has no Welsh reference.

Many Westerners are now demonstrating under middle eastern flags, in solidarity with one or other side. At times one sees some fundamentalist flags, and occasionally a terrorist flag.

People should be aware of each flag’s meaning, especially if they demonstrate under that banner.

ISRAEL

The design of the Israeli flag is based on the Tallit — the Jewish prayer shawl. Traditionally it is white with blue stripes. The hexagram in the centre is the Magen David ("Shield of David") or the "Star of David."

White represents divine benevolence and Blue represents God's glory, purity and Gevurah (God's severity.) The blue wool (tekhelet) in the Tallit is a mark of nobility, and reminds the Jew that he is a member of G‑d’s “kingdom of priests.”

PALESTINE

The current Palestine flag is based on the flag of the Arab Revolt — the flag of Hejaz. It has been used to represent the Palestinian National Authority (1994) the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) and the State of Palestine, since 2013.

The Pan-Arab colors are black, white, green and red and are used in several Islamic flags. The four colors originate from a verse by 14th century Arab poet Safi al-Din al-Hilli:

"White are our acts, black our battles, green our fields, and red our swords."

Black: the “Black Standard” used by the Rashidun & Abbasid Caliphates.
White: the dynastic color of the Umayyad Caliphate.
Green: the Religion of Islam.
Red: the Hashemite dynastic color and of blood, as in “red our swords.”

When people are protesting under this banner and hear the chant “Palestine will be free from the river to the sea” they should not pretend that this is a call for a peaceful, two state or two nation system. (The “river” is the River Jordan marking the eastern border of Israel and the “sea” is the Mediterranean Sea, on the west coast.)

The Tee Shirt logo on the left is telling. It portrays the Mediterranean Sea in red — which is not likely to be an oversight: it likely represents the blood of the Jews.

The Hamas Charter — in context of the current armed Jihad — confirms the meaning to the chant “…from the river to the sea.”

(For a detailed analysis: Jews.https://jewishjournal.com/commentary/opinion/337807/the-real-meaning-of-from-the-river-to-the-sea/ )

HAMAS

The Hamas flag has the green background of Islam and the script of the Shahada — the phrase stating the two main tenets of Islam:

“There is no god but God, and Muhammad is the messenger of God.”

In Gaza, supporters can use the Hamas flag with impunity, but in many countries it is illegal because Hamas is designated as a terrorist organization. When abroad, supporters will default to the Palestinian flag.

Ismail Haniyeh—a senior figure within Hamas and former prime minister of the Palestinian Authority (March 2006–June 2007)—waving the Palestinian flag to supporters at a rally for Hamas in the Gaza Strip, 2007 while most wave the Hamas flag.

JIHAD

The flag of Jihad is a symbol of Islamic terrorism used by al-Qaeda, the "Islamic State" (ISIS/ISIL/IS/Daesh), the Taliban and Hamas, amongst others. It is banned in Germany, Austria, China, Russia and other countries. (But allowed for educational purposes.)

The first known Flag of Jihad was the one seen behind Bin Laden. The background is the Black Standard of the Caliphates and has the same the text of the Shahada in white:

“There is no god but God, and Muhammad is the messenger of God.”

(Remember that Arabic script is written Right to Left.)

TALIBAN
The Taliban flag is essentially the negative image of the Jihad Flag: a white flag with black script of the Shahada.

The formal name for the Taliban is the “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.” The following comes from Wikipedia:

“The Taliban have been internationally condemned for their harsh enforcement of their interpretation of Islamic Sharia law, which has resulted in their brutal treatment of many Afghans. During their rule from 1996 to 2001, the Taliban enforced a strict interpretation of Sharia, or Islamic law. The Taliban and their allies committed massacres against Afghan civilians, denied UN food supplies to 160,000 starving civilians, and conducted a policy of scorched earth, burning vast areas of fertile land and destroying tens of thousands of homes.

While the Taliban controlled Afghanistan, they banned activities and media including paintings, photography, and movies that depicted people or other living things. They also prohibited music with instrumental accompaniments, with the exception of the daf, a type of frame drum. The Taliban prevented girls and young women from attending school, banned women from working jobs outside of healthcare (male doctors were prohibited from treating women), and required that women be accompanied by a male relative and wear a burqa at all times when in public. If women broke certain rules, they were publicly whipped or executed. The Taliban harshly discriminated against religious and ethnic minorities during their rule and they have also committed a cultural genocide against the people of Afghanistan by destroying numerous monuments, including the famous 1500-year-old Buddhas of Bamiyan.”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taliban

ISIS
ISIS’s flag features the Black Standard background and a handwritten, rougher version of the Shahada. The first line reads: “La ‘ilaha ‘illa-llah,” meaning “There is no god but God,” and the white seal reads “God Messenger Mohammed.” The script is much less elaborate than other flags with similar messages. The white seal is meant to resemble the official seal of the Prophet Muhammad, though experts have debated what the seal actually looked like.

One reason the Black Standard is popular with extremist Muslim groups is:

“An Islamic hadith says that horsemen bearing black flags will ride from the historic Islamic city of Khurasan toward Jerusalem on the eve of the apocalypse: “Black banners will appear from the East and they will kill you in a way that has never before been done by a nation.”

THE ARMED JIHAD HAS STARTED

Many western people support Palestine out of the naïve hope that there can be an independent & peaceful Palestine. (Palestine has been offered independence 5 times so far.)

The majority of Muslims (~80%?) are peaceful, devout people living the word of God. Extremist Islamic groups may be only ~20% of all Muslims but they hold sway because they use force against all opposition. These radical groups are interconnected and share similar long term goals — much the same way they share elements in their flags.

Take Hamas at their word: after they have eradicated Judaism, they will come for Christian Kafirs and Infidels.

Be careful what you stand for…and be very careful who you stand with.

ADDENDUM

TURKISH FLAG

The Star and Crescent was a symbol first used by the Christian Byzantines. It was taken over by the Ottoman Empire (a.k.a. the Turkish Empire) which was the largest and most powerful Islamic state for many centuries. The Ottoman Flag was red, with a white star and crescent symbol.

After the fall of the Ottoman Empire in WWI precipitated to large extent by the Arab Revolt (which used the Flag of Hijaz above) and the later Turkish War of Independence, Turkey took the Ottoman Flag as the basis for the Turkish national flag. It has become a symbol of Islam. [above]