Iraq’s flag—horizontal red, white, black bands with the green Takbir (Allahu Akbar) in Kufic script—was standardised on 22 January 2008. It descends from the Pan‑Arab tricolour used since 1963, which once bore three green stars. Colours signify Arab unity (red/white/black) and Islam (green). Ratio 2:3; law governs respectful display, half‑masting, precedence, and penalties for desecration.
Iraq’s national flag reflects the country’s 20th‑century transformations, from monarchy to republic and through subsequent regimes, while maintaining a connection to the broader Arab colour tradition. The modern banner is composed of three equal horizontal stripes—red at the top, white in the middle, black at the bottom—with the green Takbir, “Allahu Akbar,” centred in angular Kufic script.
After the monarchy’s abolition in 1958, designs shifted rapidly. A vertical black‑white‑green tricolour with republican emblems (1959) yielded to the Pan‑Arab horizontal tricolour in 1963, augmented by three green stars that variously referenced Arab unity initiatives or the Ba’athist programme. In 1991, during the Gulf War, the Takbir was added between the stars, reportedly in Saddam Hussein’s handwriting.
Post‑2003 debates on national symbols culminated in legislation on 22 January 2008: the stars were removed and the Takbir was retained in geometric Kufic, yielding a design that acknowledges religious identity without the partisan overtones of earlier iconography. The flag’s aspect ratio is 2:3; the Takbir must be centred, evenly spaced between the stripe boundaries, and drawn to a specified stroke weight with balanced letterforms.
Symbolically, red commemorates sacrifice and courage; white expresses generosity and a desire for peace; black recalls historic Abbasid heritage and suffering overcome; green alludes to Islam. Protocol stipulates respectful handling, correct precedence with foreign flags, half‑masting by decree in national mourning, and dignified retirement of unserviceable flags. Desecration or improper commercial use is prohibited.
The current settlement has stabilised the flag’s appearance in civic life: ministries, provincial councils, schools, and embassies display it according to guidance. Military colours integrate the motif within service standards. Internationally, the flag represents Iraq at organisations and in sport, where size and colour checks prevent misprints.
Thus the 2008 design balances continuity with renewal—preserving the Pan‑Arab tricolour while clarifying religious text and removing divisive emblems—so the flag can function as a unifying symbol for a plural republic.