Main Page | See live article | Alphabetical index Flag Ratio: 2:3 The current national flag and ensign of Iraq was adopted on January 14, 1991. The three stars were changed from their original meaning by the Ba'ath party motto, "Wihda, Hurriyah, Ishtirrakiyah" (Unity, Freedom, Socialism). Saddam Hussein decided to place the words, "Allahu Akbar" (God is Great) between the stars. It is said (though unconfirmed) that the words on the flag are in Saddam Hussein's own handwriting, and many interpreted it as an attempt to garner support from the Islamic world. Flag Ratio: 2:3 The older flag was adopted in July 1963, after the Qassim regime was overthrown. The green stars were originally placed there for the proposed Union with Egypt and Syria (United Arab Republic) who both had a flag with two stars in the middle at the time. They would have changed to three if the Union had not fallen apart. (older flag) Flag Ratio: x:y (original flag) Flag Ratio: x:y The original flag of Iraq was adopted in 1921, when the country was formed. The two seven-point stars denote the then 14 provinces of the kingdom. This article is from Wikipedia. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.