Cultural Post 2: Afghan and Iranian Flags

[Laila Hart]

For this week’s cultural post, I will take a look at the flags of the two countries in which Persian is spoken: Iran and Afghanistan. I wanted to explore the meaning behind each flag and every color/symbol on it.
Iran’s flag was adopted on July 29, 1980, which is pretty recent for a country so rich in history. The flag is green, white and red with Farsi writing and an image representing the five pillars of Islam. Green is said to represent Islam. Islam is the monotheistic religion, whose followers are referred to as Muslims, and the Qur’an is the book of the religion. Muslims look to Allah for guidance in the path of leading a fulfilling life. The white in the flag represents “peace,” which made me wonder when white became the color symbolizing serenity and why? I will have to look that up on my own, but it is definitely of interest to me. The red represents courage, which I respect. Often time, red is associated with anger, hostility or physical aggression. I appreciate it standing for something else this time.
There is a symbol in the center of the flag said to represent the five pillars of Islam. The five pillars are listed below with brief descriptions.
1. The Shahada: the declaration of faith and the acknowledgement of Allah and Muhammad as his chief messenger.
2. Salat: the five daily prayers associated with Islam
3. Zakat: charitable giving/ selflessness to give to others to reduce inequality if one is able
4. Fasting : three types ( ritual, for repentance and ascetic)
5. Hajj: Pilgrimage to Mecca should be completed by all at least once in his/her lifetime
There is also red and green script on the flag, appearing 22 times to be exact. It says Allah Akhbar, which means there are no words to describe how great Allah is.
Now, I will learn what the Afghanistan flag means.
Afghanistan adopted its flag in January 2004, which is even more recent. The flag features three equal lines of red, black and green. There is a white symbol on the red, center bar; it is the coat of arms. It also features a line saying “There is Allah and his prophet is Muhammad; Allah is great.”
The Islamic faith evident in each fact shows how important religion is to people in both countries.