Flag of Iraq

{{Short description|none}} {{Infobox flag | Name = Republic of Iraq | Image = Flag of Iraq.svg | Nickname = | Use = 011100 | Symbol = {{FIAV|011100}} {{FIAV|sinister}} {{IFIS|Equal}} | Proportion = 2:3 (not formalised by law) | Adoption = {{start date and age|2008|01|22|df=yes}} (current design) {{start date and age|1963|07|31|df=yes}} (original three-star design) | Design = A horizontal tricolour of red, white, and black, charged with {{lang|ar|الله أكبر}} (the ''{{translit|ar|takbīr}}'') in green Kufic script, centered on the white stripe. | Designer = Jawad Saleem (original three-star design) | Image2 = Flag of Iraq (script variant).png | Imagetext2 = Script variant, used commonly by the Iraqi Government directly following the official flag modification | Image3 = Vertical_Flag_of_Iraq.svg | Imagetext3 = Vertical }} Since the 1958 Iraqi coup d'état, the various republican governments of Iraq have used a number of different flags, all featuring the pan-Arab colors of green, black, white, and red. The current official and internationally recognized flag of Iraq ({{lang|ar|علم العراق}}) was adopted in 2008 as a temporary compromise, and consists of the three equal horizontal red, white, and black stripes of the Arab Liberation Flag, that was first used by Gamal Abdel Nasser during the Egyptian Revolution, with the ''takbīr'' written in green in the Kufic script that was originally added by Saddam Hussein following the Gulf War''.''

This basic tricolour has been in use since its adoption on 31 July 1963, with several changes to the green symbols on the central white stripe; the most recent version adopted on 22 January 2008<ref name="fotw"/> bears the ''takbīr'' rendered in dark green and removes the three green stars present since 1963.<ref name="fotw">{{cite web |title=Evolution of the Iraqi Flag |url=https://www.fotw.info/flags/iq_evol.html |access-date=2020-07-31 |website=Flags of the World}}</ref> The flag was initially meant to be temporary, but has remained the official flag ever since.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSEGO658997/ |title=استياء في العراق تجاه العلم الوطني الجديد|language=ar|agency=Reuters|date=January 27, 2008}}</ref>

== Colour scheme== '''Valid for Iraqi flags 1963–present'''<ref>{{cite web |title=country flag |url=https://protocol-pmo.gov.iq/the-countrys-flag/ |website=Directorate of Coordination and Protocol Presidency of the Council of Ministers Republic of Iraq |publisher=Government of Iraq |access-date=13 February 2022 |archive-date=13 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220213032158/https://protocol-pmo.gov.iq/the-countrys-flag/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" ! ! style="background:#cd1125; width:200px" | Red ! style="background:#fff; width:200px;"| White ! style="background:#017b3d; width:200px" | Green ! style="background:#000000ff; width:200px" | Black |- | style="background:#F2F2F2; text-align:right" | '''RGB''' | <code>205/17/37</code> || <code>255/255/255</code> || <code>1/123/61</code> || <code>0/0/0</code> |- | style="background:#F2F2F2; text-align:right" | '''Hexadecimal''' | <code>#cd1125</code> || <code>#ffffff</code> || <code>#017b3d</code> || <code>#000000</code> |- | style="background:#F2F2F2; text-align:right" |'''CMYK''' | <code>0/92/82/20</code> || <code>0/0/0/0</code> || <code>99/0/50/52</code> || <code>0/0/0/100</code> |}

==History==

=== Iraq as part of the Abbasid Caliphate (750–1258) === [[file:Abbasid banner.svg|thumb|The Abbasid Black Standard|200x200px]] The Abbasid Revolution against the Umayyad Caliphate adopted black for its {{Transliteration|ar|rāyaʾ}} for which their partisans were called the {{Transliteration|ar|musawwid}}s.<ref>{{citation | title=Abbāsid Authority Affirmed | author=Tabari | year=1995 | publisher=SUNY | volume=28 |editor1=Jane McAuliffe |page=124}}</ref> Their rivals chose other colours in reaction; among these, forces loyal to Marwan II adopted red.<ref>{{cite book | author=Patricia Crone | author-link=Patricia Crone | title=The Nativist Prophets of Early Islam |year=2012 |page=122}} As remembered in pro-Umayyad apocalyptic: p. 125}</ref> The choice of black as the colour of the Abbasid Revolution was already motivated by the "black standards out of Khorasan" tradition associated with the Mahdi. The contrast of white vs. black as the Fatimid vs. Abbasid dynastic colour over time developed in white as the colour of Shia Islam and black as the colour of Sunni Islam.<ref>"The proselytes of the ʿAbbasid revolution took full advantage of the eschatological expectations raised by black banners in their campaign to undermine the Umayyad dynasty from within. Even after the ʿAbbasids had triumphed over the Umayyads in 750, they continued to deploy black as their dynastic colour; not only the banners but the headdresses and garments of the ʿAbbasid caliphs were black [...] The ubiquitous black created a striking contrast with the banners and dynastic color of the Umayyads, which had been white [...] The Ismaili Shiʿite counter-caliphate founded by the Fatimids took white as its dynastic color, creating a visual contrast to the ʿAbbasid enemy [...] white became the Shiʿite color, in deliberate opposition to the black of the ʿAbbasid 'establishment'." Jane Hathaway, ''A Tale of Two Factions: Myth, Memory, and Identity in Ottoman Egypt and Yemen'', 2012, [https://books.google.com/books?id=L-lPC7DgepEC&pg=PA96 pp. 97f.]</ref> After the revolution, Islamic apocalyptic circles admitted that the Abbasid banners would be black but asserted that the Mahdi's standard would be black and larger.<ref>{{cite book|title=Studies in Muslim Apocalyptic |url=https://archive.org/details/studiesmuslimapo00cook |url-access=limited |author=David Cook |year=2002 |publisher=Darwin Press |isbn=9780878501427 |pages=125, 153, 206}}</ref> Anti-Abbasid circles cursed "the black banners from the East", "first and last".<ref>{{cite book | author=Patricia Crone | title=The Nativist Prophets of Early Islam |year=2012 |page=243}}</ref>

===Ottoman Iraq (1534–1920)=== {{See also|Flags of the Ottoman Empire}}[[File:Flag of the Ottoman Empire (1844–1922).svg|alt=|thumb|Flag of the Ottoman Empire, used in Iraq (1844–1920)|200x200px|left]] [[File:Flag of the Emirate of al-Muntafiq.svg|alt=|thumb|200x200px|Flag of the Emirate of Al-Muntafiq (1530–1918), still used today as a tribal banner]] Starting in 1534, the territory that is now Iraq was administered by the Ottoman Empire. In 1844, the Ottoman Empire had adopted a national flag as part of the ''Tanzimat'' reforms, this flag was used in Iraq until the Arab Revolt, and inspired the flags of the modern Iraqi Turkmen.

The flag of the southern bedouin tribal confederation, Muntafiq was based on the Imperial Ottoman flag and banners of Ottoman Egypt, and is still used as a tribal flag today by associates of the confederation.<ref>{{Cite web |last=السعدون |first=حميد حمدون |date=2020-04-20 |title=تصفح وتحميل كتاب حكاية عن المنتفق.. وقائع من تاريخ العراق الحديث والمعاصر Pdf |url=https://ebook.univeyes.com/153036 |access-date=2026-04-29 |website=مكتبة عين الجامعة |language=ar}}</ref>

===Kingdom of Iraq (1921–1958)=== thumb|{{FIAV|historical}} 10 July 1924 – 1 January 1959 (ratio: 1:2)|alt=|200x200pxThe first flag of modern Iraq was in Mandatory Iraq, and was adopted in 1921. It was a black-white-green horizontal flag, with a red triangle extending from the mast side, inspired by the flag of the Arab Revolt. It was soon changed to a new version with a red trapezoid replacing the triangle containing two, seven-point white stars denoting the Tigris River and the Euphrates River. Both designs also reflected the newly installed Hashemite dynasty in Iraq (originally from the Hejaz in the Arabian Peninsula), who had played a leading role in the Arab Revolt. As such, it was similar to the flags of Hashemite Transjordan, and the short-lived Kingdom of Hejaz.<ref>{{cite web|author=ben cahoon |url=http://www.worldstatesmen.org/Iraq.htm |title=Iraq |publisher=Worldstatesmen.org |access-date=2020-05-29}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vexilla-mundi.com/iraq_history.html |title=Vexilla Mundi |publisher=Vexilla Mundi |access-date=2020-05-29}}</ref> The new flag continued to be used in the Kingdom of Iraq.

===Iraq as part of the Arab Federation (1958)=== {{main|Flag of the Arab Federation}}

thumb|{{FIAV|historical}}23 August 1921 – 10 July 1924 (ratio: 1:2), reused as Flag of the Arab Federation, of which Iraq was part, January 1, 1958 – December 31, 1958|200x200pxIn 1958, in response to the merger of Egypt and Syria in the United Arab Republic, the two Hashemite kingdoms of Iraq and Jordan established the Arab Federation, a confederation of the two states. The flag of the union was essentially that of Jordan but without seven pointed star in the red chevron.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://iraqflag.parliament.iq/icor.php?name=iraqiflag&pa=showpage&pid=10 |title=مسابقة تصميم علم جمهورية العراق - iraqiflag |access-date=2008-08-09 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080809182058/http://iraqflag.parliament.iq/icor.php?name=iraqiflag&pa=showpage&pid=10 |archive-date=2008-08-09 }}</ref> This flag is identical to the flag of Palestine adopted in 1964, and almost identical to the flag of the Ba'ath Party. The union lasted less than six months, being terminated by the Iraqi Revolution of 1958 in July.

===Qasimist Iraq (1959–1963)=== [[File:Stamp IQ 1960 40f.jpg|left|thumb|An Iraqi postage stamp of 40 fils issued in 1960 to commemorate the anniversary of the founding of the Iraqi Army, with one of the soldiers in the stamp holding the Qasimist Iraqi flag.]] thumb|{{FIAV|historical}} January 1, 1959 – July 31, 1963 (ratio: 1:2)|200x200px Following the Revolution of 14 July 1958, led by Abd al-Karim Qasim, which abolished the Hashemite monarchy in Iraq and turned the country into a republic, Iraq adopted a new flag (Law 102 of 1959) that consisted of a black-white-green vertical tricolour, with a red eight-pointed star with a yellow circle at its centre. The black, white, green, and red are the Pan-Arab colors, representing pan-Arabism, with the yellow Kurdish Sun in the middle to represent the Iraqi Kurds, surrounded by the red Star of Ishtar to represent the indigenous Assyrians.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pjsymes.com.au/articles/CBI-First.htm|title=The First Banknotes of the Central Bank of Iraq|author=Peter Symes|website=Pjsymes.com.au|access-date=8 January 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.meforum.org/518/requiem-for-arab-nationalism#_ftn13|title=Requiem for Arab Nationalism|first=Adeed|last=Dawisha|date=1 January 2003|journal=Middle East Quarterly|access-date=9 January 2018}}</ref><ref>Amatzia Baram, "Mesopotamian Identity in Ba'thi Iraq," Middle Eastern Studies, Oct. 1983, p. 427.</ref>

After the fall of the Ba'athist regime in 2003, the 1959 design was considered for readoption. However, it was rejected by Iraqis who associated it with Abd al-Karim Qasim’s radicalism and objected to the vertical layout, which departed from the horizontal tricolour format standard in the Arab world.

The 1959 flag was relegalized and flown in the Kurdistan Region following the 2003 invasion. Some Kurdish leadership preferred it as a national symbol because it was the only flag to acknowledge their identity. It remained in limited unofficial use until 2008, when the Iraqi parliament removed the three stars (commonly associated with the Ba'ath and Nasserist leadership among Kurdish Iraqis) from the national flag, leading the Kurdistan Regional Government to adopt the revised federal banner.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dispute over Iraqi flag {{!}} Institute for War and Peace Reporting |url=https://iwpr.net/global-voices/dispute-over-iraqi-flag |access-date=2026-01-01 |website=iwpr.net |language=en}}</ref>

===Ba'athist Iraq (1963–2004)=== {{see also|Ba'athist Iraq|Pan-Arab colors}} {{Multiple image | direction = vertical | image1 = Flag of the United Arab Republic (1958–1971), Flag of Syria (1980–2024) (stars variant 1).svg | total_width = 120 | image2 = Flag of Iraq (1963–1991).svg | caption2 = Iraq adopted a variation of the UAR's flag with a third star to represent Iraqi aspirations to join a new Arab Union | align = left }}{{Infobox flag | Name = Flag of the Iraqi Republic Three-star flag | Image = Flag of Iraq (1963-1991).svg | Imagetext = National flag adopted in 1963 under Abdul Salam Arif to represent a reformed United Arab Republic; later modified in 1991 and used in different forms until 2008. | Nickname = | Proportion = 2:3 | Adoption = {{Start date and age|1963}} {{Start date and age|2012}} (by Iraqi Sunni Arabs) | Relinquished = {{Start date and age|1991}} (as primary national flag) {{Start date and age|2008}} (all variants) | Design = A horizontal tricolour of red, white, and black, charged with 3 equal stars, centered on the white stripe. | Designer = Jawad Saleem | Image2 = Flag of Iraq (1991–2004).svg | Imagetext2 = Version commissioned by Saddam Hussein in 1991, containing the Takbir | Nickname2 = Late Ba'athist Flag | Adoption2 = {{Start date and age|1991}} | Relinquished2 = {{Start date and age|2004}} | Designer2 = Saddam Hussein (through Flag Law No. 6 of 1991) }}

After the 1963 Ramadan Revolution led to the overthrow of Qasim, the new government adopted a new national flag to represent the Nasserist ideology endorsed by President Abdul Salam Arif, officially replacing the flag adopted by Qasim on July 31 of 1963 with Law 28 of 1963.

The Three-star flag is believed to have been originally designed and proposed by Jawad Saleem, a Turkish-born artist with origins in Mosul who also designed and sculpted the Freedom Monument in Baghdad, originally as a tribute to Qasim's revolution.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-10-30 |title=History of Iraqi flags: Pan Arabism and the Baath party (1963-2003) |url=https://irqnow.com/history-of-iraqi-flags-baath-rule-1963-2003/ |access-date=2025-06-28 |website=Iraq Now |language=en}}</ref> The horizontal red, white, and black tricolour was based on the United Arab Republic (UAR) flag, and featured three green stars symbolizing a desire to join a reunited Egypt and Syria.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-10-30 |title=History of Iraqi flags: Pan Arabism and the Baath party (1963-2003) |url=https://irqnow.com/history-of-iraqi-flags-baath-rule-1963-2003/ |access-date=2025-06-26 |website=Iraq Now |language=en}}</ref> Saleem died in 1961 before its official adoption.

In a move symbolising support for a reformed UAR, Ba'athist Syria also adopted this flag as its national flag with slightly different proportions until 1971, when it replaced the stars with the Hawk of Quraish due to its membership in the Federation of Arab Republics.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hulinsky |first=Oleh |title=Flag of Syria: history, colours, symbols and their meaning |url=https://flagsdb.com/asia/sy |access-date=2025-06-26 |website=Database of flags |language=en}}</ref>

During his rule, Saddam Hussein made two significant changes to the 1963 flag. First, he reinterpreted the three stars in the Flag Law No. 33 of 1986 to represent the Ba'ath Party's motto Waḥda, Ḥurriyya, Ishtirākiyya ("unity, freedom, and socialism"). Second, in 1991, amid the Gulf War and as a prelude to the Faith Campaign, he added the takbīr ("Allahu akbar") between the stars to gain religious support and emphasize Iraq's Islamic identity, moving away from the Ba'ath Party's traditional secular stance. The ''hamza'' over the ''alif'' of “''Allah''” in the main variant seems to be a spelling error according to formal Arabic grammar, but it is a common mistake found in many texts.<ref name="fotw"/> The form of the ''{{transliteration|ar|takbīr}}'' was said to be Saddam's own handwriting.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Podeh |first1=Elie |title=The Politics of National Celebrations in the Arab Middle East |last2=Pôde |first2=Ēlî |date=2011-06-30 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=9781107001084 |page=144 |language=en}}</ref> Despite this, the original 1963 flag without the takbīr remained legal and remained in co-official use until 2004, most commonly as a civil ensign or in places where a less religiously sensitive flag was needed, this contrasts the flag's use after 2012 as a symbol of Sunni Arab ethnic and religious affiliation. Following the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the three-star flag was used as a symbol of the Iraqi Insurgency with rebel groups even without direct Sunni identity or ideology such as the Sufi-led Naqshbandi Army and Shia Mahdi Army using versions of the flag as a shared symbol. thumb|300x300px|The 1963 and 1991 flags being flown by Iraqi Sunnis, alongside the 2008 flag during the 2012 Iraqi protests|left The 1963 flag reemerged during the 2012–2013 Iraqi protests, adopted by many Sunni Arabs as the distinctive ethnic flag to represent Iraqi Sunni Arabs as a whole and a reference to a time when Iraq was dominated by Sunni leadership and perceived as more favorable and secure for Sunnis. Its meaning shifted from a former national flag to one associated with Sunni Arab identity and political expression. Shias and other minority groups in Iraq today generally do not identify with the flag, viewing it primarily as a symbol of Sunni Arab identity and Ba'athist political legacy rather than a unifying national emblem, despite originally being an inherently non-sectarian symbol with Nasserist origins.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Shi'ite Religious Flags (Iraq) |url=https://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/iq_shia4.html |access-date=2025-06-26 |website=www.crwflags.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Mini-Crisis in Iraq: Which Iraqi Flag? |url=https://www.memri.org/reports/mini-crisis-iraq-which-iraqi-flag |access-date=2025-06-26 |website=MEMRI |language=en}}</ref>

===2004–2008=== [[File:BaghdadSign.jpg|left|thumb|A mural with the flag alongside an image of Saddam Hussein, destroyed by the Coalition forces during the Iraq War (2007)]] [[File:Flag of Iraq 2004-2008.svg|thumb|{{FIAV|historical}}{{IFIS|Equal}} 15 August 2004 – 22 January 2008 variant of the flag of Iraq with stylized Kufic script (ratio: 2:3)]] [[File:An Iraqi crewmember.jpg|thumb|The Pre-Invasion flag being used by U.S. Air Force to represent Iraq after the invasion in 2006 ]] Owing to differing views on a flag proposed by the United States-appointed administration, and the prevailing opposition to an outright abandonment of the current Iraqi flag, a compromise measure was adopted by the U.S.-appointed Iraqi interim administration in 2004. The basic form of the existing flag was retained;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.worldflags101.com/i/iraq-flag.aspx|title=Republic of Iraq flag|access-date=2008-02-10|publisher=World flags 101|archive-date=2022-04-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220411002321/http://www.worldflags101.com/i/iraq-flag.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref> however, the ''takbīr'' was rendered in traditional stylized Kufic script, as opposed to the handwriting of Saddam Hussein.

The modified flag was unveiled at the ceremony marking the technical "handover" of power from the Coalition Provisional Authority occupation forces to the U.S.-appointed administration on 28 July 2004.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/06/28/iraq.handover/ |title=CNN.com - U.S. returns sovereignty to Iraq - Jul 28, 2004 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040803084929/http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/07/28/iraq.handover/ |archive-date=August 3, 2004 }}</ref>

Although the 2004 version of the Iraqi flag was introduced as a transitional design intended to reduce overt associations with Saddam Hussein's regime, the current Government of Iraq continues to regard all iterations of the three star flag featuring the takbir between the stars as symbols linked to Ba'athist rule. In March 2025, police in Baghdad arrested a resident of the Sumer district after he raised the 2004 flag over his home, reportedly citing it as an expression of allegiance to the former regime.<ref>{{Cite web |last=AlrasheedMedia |date=2025-03-03 |title=اعتقال شخص رفع العلم العراقي السابق فوق منزله شرقي بغداد |url=https://www.alrasheedmedia.com/2025/03/03/612781/ |access-date=2025-07-16 |website=قناة الرشيد الفضائية |language=ar}}</ref>

===2008–present=== thumb|right|{{IFIS|Equal}} 22 January 2008<ref name="FOTW">FOTW</ref> – present flag of Iraq (ratio: 2:3) [[File:Iraqi and Kurdish flags.jpg|thumb|Flag of Iraq being flown alongside the Flag of Kurdistan in Erbil (2011)]] On 22 January 2008,<ref name="FOTW" /> the Council of Representatives of Iraq approved its new design for the national flag, confirmed by Law 9 of 2008 as the compromising temporary replacement for the Ba'athist Saddam-era flag. In this current version, the three stars were removed, leaving only the ''takbīr'' (which confused some Iraqis, as this was the part added to the flag by Saddam himself), with the two words of the ''takbīr'' being brought closer together and rendered in bold, and corrected the previous spelling of ''Allah'' ({{lang|ar|ألله}} to {{lang|ar|الله}}). The removal of the three stars was demanded by the Kurdish population of Iraq, who associated the three stars with the Al-Anfal genocide. But their removal provoked criticism among non-Kurdish Iraqis, mainly Iraqi Arabs, who argued that the stars did not represent the Ba'athist regime, and the city of Fallujah refused to fly the temporary flag that year unless instructed otherwise.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |date=2008-01-26 |title=Discontent in Iraq over new national flag|work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iraq-flag-idUSL2662290320080126 |access-date=2022-11-07}}</ref> The parliament intended for the new design to last one year, after which a final decision on the flag would be made. However, the flag law was reviewed in parliament on 30 August 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.parliament.iq/Iraqi_Council_of_Representatives.php?name=schedule|title=Council of Representatives of Iraq (parliament) schedule includes Iraqi law review on April 30, 2009. (in Arabic)|access-date=2009-04-29|publisher=Council of Representatives of Iraq|date=2009-04-29}}</ref> {{Clear}}

== Symbolism == The Iraqi flag consists of four colours: red, white, green and black, inspired by the poetic verse of Safi al-Din al-Hilli: "Our actions are bright, our battlefields are dark, our lands are green, and our swords are red with the blood of our enemies".<ref>{{Cite web |title=علم الدولة – protocol-PMO |url=https://protocol-pmo.gov.iq/the-countrys-flag/ |access-date=2022-10-02 |language=ar |archive-date=2022-10-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221002140859/https://protocol-pmo.gov.iq/the-countrys-flag/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

== Specifications == thumb|{{IFIS|Equal}} 22:January 2008 – present flag of Iraq (ratio: 2:3) The flag is in the form of a rectangle, the width of which is two-thirds of its length, and it consists of three horizontal bands of equal dimensions, the top in red, the middle in white, and the bottom in black, and the words ʾAllāhu ʾakbar "الله اكبر" in Kufic script coloured green is in the middle of the middle white rectangle.

==Flag proposals and flag contest== ===2004 flag proposal and controversy===

Following the military invasion of Iraq by the United States in 2003, the Iraqi government was overthrown, and the Ba'ath party was outlawed. Strong speculation followed that the U.S. government would press for a change in the Iraqi flag to remove its pan-Arab symbolism, and to make a definitive break with the period of Ba'athist rule. To a degree, this view was shared by some groups in Iraq. In addition to some displeasure among Iraqis who had suffered under Saddam Hussein to retaining national symbols used by his government, there was also strong aversion to the flag from Iraq's Kurdish minority, who resented its evocation of pan-Arabism. However, Iraqi opponents of changing the flag argued that since the flag had been used since 1963, long before Saddam Hussein's presidency, it was unfair to characterise it as a "Saddamist" flag. They also stressed that pan-Arabism has been a dominant popular principle among Iraqi's majority population for decades prior to Iraqi independence in 1932.

On 14 August 2004 the U.S.-appointed Iraqi Governing Council (IGC) announced a new flag during Saddam's Iraq. The IGC stated that, from around 30 competing entries, it had chosen a design by the distinguished Iraqi artist-architect Rifat Chadirji, who lived in London, and is a brother of a member of the IGC. Chadirji commented that the guidelines stipulated that Iraq should be portrayed as part of the Western world, with historical elements included. The simplicity of his design was inspired by the flags of Canada and Switzerland,<ref name="nyt29apr">{{cite news |last1=Beck |first1=Ernest |last2=Lasky |first2=Julie |title=In Iraq, Flag Design, Too, Comes Under Fire |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/29/garden/in-iraq-flag-design-too-comes-under-fire.html |access-date=10 May 2022 |work=The New York Times |date=29 April 2004}}</ref> and it also shares elements (a crescent, stripes, a light blue shade) with the flag of his ethnic group, the Iraqi Turkmen.

The proposed flag had several meanings:<ref name="nyt29apr"/> {| class="wikitable" |- ! Symbol ! Meaning |- | White background | Purity |- | Two blue bands | The blue bands represent the Tigris and the Euphrates rivers. |- | Yellow band | Kurdish minority. The flag of Kurdistan features a yellow sun. |- | Blue crescent | The crescent represents Islam. The shade of blue represents Iraqi Turkmens. |} [[File:Proposed_flag_of_Iraq_(Coalition_Provisional_Authority,_2004).svg|right|thumb|{{FIAV|proposal}}Proposed flag, 2004 (later abandoned) during American occupation.]] The design marked a notable break with the three flags of modern Iraqi history (namely the Arab Revolt-inspired flag of the Kingdom, the flag introduced by Abd al-Karim Qasim, and the Arab Liberation inspired flag of 1963), all of which were based on the four Pan-Arab colours. Indeed, of these colours, only white was represented in the IGC design. Moreover, Islamic crescents are usually depicted in green or red in Arab heraldry. The proposed change provoked an intensely negative reaction across groups of Iraq's Arab majority, including those vehemently opposed to Saddam Hussein. Those opposed to the U.S. occupation, including Shi'a cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, decried the design as an attempt by the U.S. government to strip Iraq of its identity, and its historically prominent role in the Arab world. In particular, critics lamented the proposed abandonment of the Arab Liberation Flag, the omission of the traditional colours of pan-Arabism, and the removal of the ''takbīr''.

Additionally, the new flag's predominantly blue-on-white appearance immediately antagonized many in Iraq because of the claim that it was similar to the flag of Israel.

The new flag was reported to have been burned by insurgents in Fallujah on 27 April 2004, the day before its planned official adoption. {{Citation needed|date=August 2024}}

On 28 April 2004, IGC President Masoud Barzani formally presented a modified version of the flag in which the originally very light shade of blue as reported by the press on 26 April 2004 had been changed to a darker tone. It was unclear whether this was a change made because of the protests made against the original design or, as the Council claimed, a rectification of printing errors in the earlier news reports. Barzani also explained that the flag was a temporary design, to be used over the ensuing months until the adoption of a definitive flag.

In the face of the overwhelming public outcry, adoption of the blue crescent flag was abandoned entirely.{{Clear}}

===2008 flag proposals=== <gallery mode="packed-hover"> File:Proposed flag of Iraq (first proposal, 2008).svg|{{IFIS|Equal}} First proposal, 2008 File:Proposed flag of Iraq (second proposal, 2008).svg|{{IFIS|Equal}} Second proposal, 2008 </gallery>Despite the compromise in 2004, opposition to the flag persisted from Kurdish groups. In January 2008, a new design was proposed, removing the three green stars, instead placing a green eight pointed star around a yellow circle in the middle of the ''takbīr'', which is written in the Kufic script and prized as a Mesopotamian Arabic style, having originated in Iraq.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18049763 | title=Iraq to Restore Former Baath Party Followers | last=Garrels | first=Anne | access-date=2008-01-24 | publisher=National Public Radio | date=2008-01-12 }}</ref> In July 2008, the Iraqi parliament launched a contest to design a new Iraqi flag. The contest ran until September 2008, with 50 designs submitted. Six designs were chosen and sent to the parliament which was to choose a new flag before the end of 2008.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://pukmedia.com/english/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=8111&Itemid=53 |title=Iraqi new flag to be identified before year end |access-date=2008-10-12 |publisher=Patriotic Union of Kurdistan |date=2008-10-12 }}</ref> Another proposed design was also similar to the 2004–2008 flag, but the script was changed to yellow to represent the Kurdish people in northern Iraq. The meaning of the three stars would be changed to symbolize peace, tolerance and justice.<ref>{{cite web |last=Charif |first=Chalaan |date=2008-01-15 |title=Iraq's new flag half satisfies everyone |url=http://www.radionetherlands.nl/currentaffairs/080115-new-iraq-flag |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080118074558/http://www.radionetherlands.nl/currentaffairs/080115-new-iraq-flag |archive-date=2008-01-18 |access-date=2008-01-24 |publisher=Radio Netherlands}}</ref>{{Clear}}

=== 2020s flag proposal (Proposed Flag Initiative) === {{Redirect|Flag of the Basra Federal Region|more information|Basra Federal Region}} thumb|{{IFIS|Equal}} Third proposal, 2020s {{multiple image | align = right | direction = vertical | width = 192 | image1 = Flag of the campaign for the Federal Region of Basra.svg | caption1 = Commonly used flag of the Basra Federal Region movement | image2 = Flag of the campaign for the Federal Region of Basra (Alternative design).svg | caption2 = Alternative design | image3 = Flag of the campaign for the Federal Region of Basra (horizontal).svg | caption3 = Alternative horizontal design }}

The "Proposed Flag Initiative" was launched in the 2020s and acknowledged by Creative Iraq, a Baghdad-based nationalist design group, the initiative developed a new national flag design to replace the temporary design from 2008.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Raed |first=Ali |date=2025-03-17 |title=The Flag that Never was: About Iraq’s "Proposed Flag Initiative" |url=https://www.creativeiraq.com/post/does-iraq-s-flag-need-a-makeover-learn-about-iraq-s-proposed-flag-initiative |access-date=2025-06-21 |website=Creative Iraq |language=en}}</ref> The flag was designed intentionally to remove the Nasserist and Ba'athist influence on the design of the flag, in order to create a distinct, secular flag for the country that acknowledges the shared Mesopotamian heritage of Iraq rather than Nasserist Pan-Arabism. The flag readopts the Qasimist-era Ishtar Star.

Parallel to this national movement, a similar blue-white-green tricolor has been adopted by proponents of the Basra Federal Region to represent their local identity and economic aspirations.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kurdistan24 |date=2018-01-09 |title=Basra Governor invokes constitutional rights, demands establishment of federal region |url=https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/story/374111/slug |access-date=2026-01-01 |website=Basra Governor invokes constitutional rights, demands establishment of federal region |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2014-12-06 |title=Iraqi MP says time not ‘suitable’ to announce Basra as federal region |url=https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2014/12/06/Iraqi-MP-says-time-not-suitable-to-announce-Basra-as-federal-region |access-date=2026-01-01 |website=Al Arabiya English |language=en}}</ref> As this new tricolor has gained visibility, it has become increasingly synonymous with a rising wave of Iraqi nationalism and a "post-Ba'athist" identity among the country's politically active population, following the 2019–2021 Iraqi protests.<ref>{{Cite web |last=McGinn |first=Jack |date=2020-10-21 |title=A New Region, or Independence? Basra’s Demands Amidst a Local Government Crisis - Middle East Centre |url=https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/mec/2020/10/21/a-new-region-or-independence-basras-demands-amidst-a-local-government-crisis/ |access-date=2026-01-01 |website=Middle East Centre -}}</ref> For many, the adoption of these colors represents a broader shift toward a civic-centered Iraqi identity that emphasizes the nation's unique geography and indigenous history over the Pan-Arab motifs of the past.

==Subnational flags== ===Minority ethnic flags=== {| class="wikitable" |- ! style="width:110px;"|Flag!!style="width:100px;"|Date !Ratio!! style="width:250px;" |Use |- | border|150x150px|| 1920–present (adopted in 2005) |2:3|| Flag of Kurdistan, used in Kurdistan Region |- |border|150x150px |1963–present (unofficially readopted in 2012) |2:3 |Flag used by Iraqi Sunni Arabs, additionally used as a flag proposal for the Sunni Region as well{{Citation needed|date=April 2026}} |- |border|150x150px |1994–present (unofficial) |2:3 |Flag used by Iraqi Turkmen, to represent Turkmeneli |- |border|150x150px |1971–present (unofficial) |2:3 |Flag used by Assyrians, to represent the Assyrian homeland |- |border|150x150px |2000s–present (unofficial) |3:5 |Flag used by Chaldeans |- |border|150x150px |2000s–present (unofficial) |2:3 |Flag used by Yazidis |}

===Governorates=== {{see also|Governorates of Iraq}} {| class="wikitable" |- ! style="width:110px;"|Flag !Date !Ratio!! style="width:250px;" |Use |- | border|150x150px |?–present |2:3|| Flag of Al Anbar Governorate<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.gettyimages.ae/detail/news-photo/anbar-governor-ali-farhan-al-dulaimi-speaks-to-afp-at-his-news-photo/1235737369 | title=Anbar governor Ali Farhan al-Dulaimi speaks to AFP at his office in | date=7 October 2021 }}</ref> |- | |?–present |2:3|| Flag of Babil Governorate |- | border|150x150px |?–present |2:3|| Flag of Baghdad Governorate<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/iq-b.html | title=Baghdad Governorate (Iraq) }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.alrasheedmedia.com/2021/06/15/322563/ | title=محافظ بغداد يؤكد اتخاذ اجراءات مشددة على المولدات الاهلية لمنع رفع الاسعار | date=15 June 2021 }}</ref> |- | |?–present |2:3|| Flag of Basra Governorate<ref>{{cite web | url=https://agcff.com/en/3833/ | title=Gulf 25 inspection team concludes its tour of Basra, holds a press conference – اتحاد كأس الخليج العربي لكرة القدم }}</ref> |- | |?–? |2:3 |Former flag of Basra Governorate |- | |?–present |2:3|| Flag of Diyala Governorate<ref>{{cite web | url=https://shafaq.com/en/Iraq-News/Deputy-governor-of-Diyala-contracts-COVID-19 | title=Deputy governor of Diyala contracts COVID-19 | access-date=2022-08-26 | archive-date=2023-10-15 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231015205825/https://shafaq.com/en/Iraq-News/Deputy-governor-of-Diyala-contracts-COVID-19 | url-status=dead }}</ref> |- | border|150x150px |?–present |2:3|| Flag of Halabja Governorate<ref>{{Cite web| url=https://www.rudawarabia.net/arabic/kurdistan/050120183| title=مشروع قانون موازنة العراق لعام 2018 يشير إلى حلبجة كمحافظة (Iraq's 2018 budget bill refers to Halabja as a governorate)}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://sulicourt.krd/ar/pages/news/view.php?id=49 | title=زيارة رئيس المحكمة الى محافظة حلبجة }}</ref> |- | border|150x150px |?–present |2:3|| Flag of Muthanna Governorate |- | |?–present |2:3|| Flag of Nineveh Governorate<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.alamy.com/mosul-iraq-2nd-july-2019-new-governor-of-nineveh-mansour-al-mareed-speaks-to-xinhua-in-an-interview-at-his-office-in-nineveh-province-iraq-july-2-2019-the-governor-of-iraqs-northern-province-of-nineveh-called-on-the-chinese-companies-to-take-part-in-the-reconstruction-of-its-capital-mosul-to-go-with-iraqi-governor-calls-on-chinese-companies-to-take-part-in-reconstruction-of-mosul-credit-khalil-dawoodxinhuaalamy-live-news-image259794862.html | title=Mosul, Iraq. 2nd July, 2019. New governor of Nineveh Mansour al-Mar'eed speaks to Xinhua in an interview at his office in Nineveh province, Iraq, July 2, 2019. The governor of Iraq's northern province of Nineveh called on the Chinese companies to take part in the reconstruction of its capital Mosul. TO GO WITH: Iraqi governor calls on Chinese companies to take part in reconstruction of Mosul. Credit: Khalil Dawood/Xinhua/Alamy Live News Stock Photo - Alamy }}</ref> |- | |?–present |2:3|| Flag of Saladin Governorate<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/iq-s.html | title=Saladin (Salah ed-Din) Governorate (Iraq) }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://shafaq.com/en/Report/Chaos-prevails-in-Saladin-as-two-governors-lock-horns-over-who-runs-the-governorate | title=Chaos prevails in Saladin as two governors lock horns over who runs the governorate }}</ref> |- | |–2025 |2:3|| Flag of Kirkuk Governorate<ref>{{cite news | url=https://shafaq.com/ar/%D9%85%D8%AC%D8%AA%D9%80%D9%85%D8%B9/%D9%85%D8%AD%D8%A7%D9%81%D8%B8%D8%A9-%D9%83%D8%B1%D9%83%D9%88%D9%83-%D8%AA%D8%B9%D8%AA%D9%85%D8%AF-%D8%B4%D8%B9%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%A7-%D8%AC%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%AF%D8%A7-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%84%D9%88%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B1%D8%B5%D8%A7%D8%B5%D9%8A | title=محافظة كركوك تعتمد شعاراً جديداً باللون الرصاصي | newspaper=shafaq.com | date=2025-03-04 }}</ref> |- | |?–2025 |2:3|| Former flag of Kirkuk Governorate<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.ft.com/content/709caa8a-9954-11e7-a652-cde3f882dd7b |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/https://www.ft.com/content/709caa8a-9954-11e7-a652-cde3f882dd7b |archive-date=2022-12-10 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live | title=Iraq fires Kirkuk governor in Kurdish referendum stand-off | newspaper=Financial Times | date=14 September 2017 }}</ref> |- | border|150x150px |?–present |1:2|| Flag of Sulaymaniyah Governorate<ref>{{cite tweet |author=slemani.gov |user=SlemaniGov |number=1536612064646647808 |date=14 June 2022 |title=رەوشی مافەكانی مرۆڤ تاووتوێ‌ دەكرێت https://t.co/iT3fPt3Tui https://t.co/P9ZVqR5vDv https://t.co/xutgAlQztV https://t.co/7M8B9ip87O https://t.co/3JrqGjKZZU https://t.co/xL8fxXDw6I |trans-title=The human rights situation will be discussed. |language=ckb |access-date=21 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220826121053/https://twitter.com/SlemaniGov/status/1536612064646647808 |archive-date=26 August 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref> |- | |?–present |2:3|| Flag of Wasit Governorate |}

==Gallery==

=== Military flags === {| class="wikitable" |- ! style="width:110px;" |Flag !Date!! style="width:250px;" |Use |- ! colspan="3" |Current |- | border|150x150px |?–present|| Flag of the Iraqi Ground Forces |- |border|150x150px |?–present |Flag of the Iraqi Air Force |- |border|150x150px |2003–present |Flag of the Iraqi Navy |- |border|150x150px |2007–present |Flag of the Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service |- |border|150x150px |?–present |Special Operations Iraq Flag |- |border|150x150px |?–present |Flag of Shabak Militia |- |border|150x150px |?–present |Flag of the 1st Division |- |border|150x150px |?–present |Flag of the 2nd Division |- ! colspan="3" |Former |- |border|150x150px |?–2003 |Ba'athist-era flag of the Iraqi Navy |- |border|150x150px |?–2003 |Flag of Fedayeen Saddam |- |border|150x150px |2003 |Flag of the Free Iraqi Forces |- |border|150x150px | rowspan="2" |14 May 2004 – 31 December 2009 | rowspan="2" |Flag of the Multi-National Force – Iraq |- |border|150x150px |- |border|150x150px |January 1, 2010 – December 15, 2011 |Flag of the United States Forces – Iraq |}

=== Political/Rebel flags === {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" |- ! style="width:110px;" | Flag ! Date ! Ratio ! style="width:250px;" | Use ! style="width:250px;" | Description |- ! colspan="5" | Current |- | border|150pxborder|150px | 2004–present | 2:3 | Flag of the Army of the Men of the Naqshbandi Order, Supreme Command for Jihad and Liberation, Free Iraqi Army, and the Islamic Front for the Iraqi Resistance. | Former Ba'athist national flag, used as a rebel symbol against the federal government of Iraq. |- | border|150px | ?–present | 2:3 | Flag of the Kurdistan Democratic Party | |- |border|150px border|150px border|150px | |2:3 |Proposed flags for the Basra Federal Region | |- | border|150px | ?–present | 2:3 | Flag of the Babylon Movement | |- | border|150px | ?–present | | Flag of the Assyrian Democratic Movement | |- | border|150px | ?–present | | Flag of Nineveh Plain Protection Units | |- | border|150px | ?–present | 2:3 | Flag of the Iraqi Communist Party | |- | border|150px | ?–present | 2:3 | rowspan="2" | Flag of the Iraqi National Congress | |- | border|150px | ?–? | 2:3 | |- | border|150px | ?–present | 2:3 | Flag of the Islamic Dawa Party | |- | border|150px | ?–present | 2:3 | Flag of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan | |- | border|150px | 2005–present | 2:3 | Flag of the Kurdistan Workers' Party | |- | border|150px | 2018–present | 2:3 | Flag of the Turkish Intervention in Northern Iraq | |- | border|150px | ?–present | 2:3 | Flag of the Yazidi Movement for Reform and Progress | |- | border|150px | ?–present | 1:2 | Flag of the Kurdistan Islamic Movement | |- | | ?–present | | Flag of Hezbollah Movement in Iraq | |- | | ?–present | 2:3 | Flag of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq | |- | | ?–present | 2:3 | Flag of the Popular Mobilization Forces | |- | border|150px | ?–present | | Flag of Kata'ib Hezbollah | |- |border|150x150px |?–present | |Flag of Flag of Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada | |- | border|150px | ?–present | 2:3 | Flag of the Iraqi Turkmen Front | |- | border|150px | ?–present | | Flag of the Kurdistan Justice Group | |- | border|150px | 2024–present | | Flag of the Kurdistan Islamic Relations Movement | |- | border|150px | ?–present | | Flag of the Islamic State | |- | border|150px | ?–present | 2:3 | Flag of Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Iraq Region | |- | border|150px | ?–present | 2:3 | Flag of White Flags | |- ! colspan="5" | Former |- | border|150px | | 2:3 | Flag of the Free Iraqi Army | |- | border|150px | | 2:3 | Flag of the Arab Socialist Union | |- | border|150px | | | Flag of Islamic Army of Iraq | |- | border|150px | | 2:3 | Flag of the Kurdistan Brigades | |- | border|150px | | | Flag of Al-Qaeda in Iraq |- | border|150px | | 2:3 | Flag of the Sons of Iraq | |- | border|150px | | | Flag of Jama'at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad | |- | border|150px | | | Flag of the Mahdi Army | |- | border|150px | | | Flag of Ansar al-Islam | |- | border|150px | | | Flag of the Iraqi Islamic Resistance Army | |- | border|150px | | | Flag of Islamic State of Iraq | |- | border|150px | | | Flag of Ansar al-Sunnah | |- | | | | Flag of Abu Bakr Al-Salafi Army | |- | border|150px | | 2:3 | Flag of Hamas of Iraq | |- | border|150px | | 2:3 | Flag of Promised Day Brigade | |- | border|150px | | | Flag of the Anbar Tribal Council | |}

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== {{Commons category|Flags of Iraq}} *[https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7203222.stm Iraq parliament approves new flag] *[https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3660663.stm Iraq unveils new national flag] (BBC) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20061008121650/http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/94E338BA-2CAF-4267-A9FC-5C425A108CE1.htm Controversial new Iraqi flag unfurled] (al-Jazeera) *[https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3663387.stm Iraqis unimpressed by flag design] (BBC; refers to the sibling relationship between the al-Chaderchis, accusations of nepotism) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20121010095800/http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0428-03.htm Burning with anger: Iraqis infuriated by new flag that was designed in London] ''(The Independent,'' reaction of Iraqis, sibling relationship) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20080202071100/http://www.arabic-radio-tv.com/Iq_flags.htm Flags of Modern Iraq] ''(Arabic-Radio-TV,'' The Flags of Modern Iraq (1921–present) * {{FOTW|id=iq|title=Iraq}} * [https://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/23/world/middleeast/23iraq.html?bl&ex=1201323600&en=a0708912c54bf08f&ei=5087%0A New York Times article on new flag] *[http://www.gjpi.org/ Global Justice Project: Iraq]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Iraq, Flag of}} Category:Flags of Iraq Flag Category:National flags Iraq flag controversy of 2004 Category:Flags including Arabic script Category:Flags introduced in 1963 Category:Flags introduced in 1991 Category:Flags introduced in 2004 Category:Flags introduced in 2008 Category:Quadcolor flags