Our attachment to symbols is much deeper than passing trends of fashion. Postmodernism considers flags and insignia a matter of the past. But, as we can plainly see, this view does not reflect reality at all. While the Turkish ministry of trade has banned the sales of rainbow themed merchandise to people under 18.Ĭontrary to dominant discourse over the last few decades that argues against symbolism, in particular, one related to countries, religious and traditional communities – flags rally people around a cause and steer deep emotions. It has been frowned upon or outright banned in certain countries and contexts.Ģ0 members of the US GOP supported a bill that would ban flying the gay flag in US embassies during pride month. But, the heated debate has shown how powerful the symbolism of flags is and how emotionally tied we can be to flags as peoples.Īnother flag which has been quite controversial for the last few years is the rainbow flag which represents the LGBT+ community. Ultimately, at the referendum, they decided to keep their old flag. Controversies around flags have always been and still is in focus of politics worldwide.Ī few years ago, New Zealanders were involved in a heated ‘ flag debate’ on whether to change their flag which was considered too similar to the Australian flag. The importance of flags as a manifestation of different identities, foundation stories, and interests is not special to Afghanistan.
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This followed the European tri-colour shape to distance itself from the Ottoman Empire against whom the revolt was directed at. It may come as a surprise that the three-colour flag was designed by British soldier and diplomat Mark Sykes as a symbol of the 1916 Arab Revolt. It is interesting that they used this so-called Pan-Arab colour scheme even though Afghans are not of Arab origin.
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Most Afghan flags, including the last one, followed the three colour schemes usually interpreted as: black (Abbasids), white (Umayyads) and green (Fatimids).
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In Afghanistan, it was used twice after independence. In flag colour pallets, solid black is rarely used. Blue script is found to the left and right of the insignia on the white stripe. A yellow insignia surrounded by crossed curved swords sits in the middle. The white colour symbolises ‘the purity of Taliban’s faith and government’ while the scripture is Shahada which is an Islamic oath and is the first of the Five Pillars of Islam found in the Quran.īlue, which is typical for many European flags, was used only once – just for the wording on the flag.įlag of Afghanistan 2001-2002, with a green stripe on top, a white stripe in the middle, and a black stripe on the bottom. Red has been the main color of almost all Afgan flags – perhaps unsurprisingly it was solid red during the communist government.Īnd solid white is what the Taliban has chosen for their flag in the last two decades. The colour palette of Afghan flags has not followed the globally dominant red, blue, and white combination. But what can we learn about Afghanistan’s history from their flags? People have and still fight and die under and for their flags. Flags are the most condensed and vivid expression of identity. In addition, flags talk directly to people’s emotions and deeper need to belong and identify. Thus, understanding flags, their symbolism, and their use is crucial in understanding politics and society. This variety of flags also represents the diversity of Afghan society and a wide range of interests. Various flags rippled for Afghanistan Emirate, Kingdom, Republic, Socialist Republic, and finally its Islamic State.įrequent changes of flags in Afghan history is an illustration of a society in flux with almost constant instability. In the 102 years of Afghanistan’s independence the nation’s national banners were changed 30 times. Three people were killed by the Taliban in the conflict, the nation’s once official flag is now a symbol of opposition against the Taliban.Ĭhanges of flags are nothing new. The battle for flags started a few days ago in Jalalabad, when protestors replaced Taliban’s white flag with the Afghan tri-colour one. The major symbolic question, after the Taliban took over the capital Kabul, was whether the Afghani national flag or Taliban’s flag would be flying high. The entire world focused on the unfolding of events as the country fell into turmoil, following the flash US military withdrawal after 20 years in the country.
#What does a solid black flag mean update#
Update on flags and diplomacy: Two colours blue of the French flagĪfghanistan’s Independence Day (19 August) came only days after the Taliban seized control of capital Kabul.