huh??? טוב, הנה הטקסט במלואו
Posted on Tue, Apr. 27, 2004 New Iraqi flag too blue, white BY PAMELA CONSTABLE Washington Post BAGHDAD, Iraq — It was supposed to be the perfect symbol for a new and unified Iraq: a pale blue Islamic crescent on a field of pure white, with two blue stripes representing the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and a third yellow stripe to symbolize the country's Kurdish minority. But the new national flag, presented Monday after an artistic competition sponsored by the Iraqi Governing Council, appears to have met with widespread public disapproval — in part because of its design and in part because of the increasing unpopularity of the U.S.-appointed council. In interviews in several Baghdad neighborhoods, a variety of residents expressed strong negative reactions to the flag, which was reproduced in most daily newspapers. In particular, people objected to the pale blue color of the crescent and stripes, saying it was identical to the dominant color in the flag of Israel. "When I saw it in the newspaper, I felt very sad," said Muthana Khalil, 50, a supermarket owner in Saadoun, a commercial area in central Baghdad. "The flags of other Arab countries are red and green and black. Why did they put in these colors that are the same as Israel? Why was the public opinion not consulted?" Other residents objected to the removal of the phrase, "God is greatest," which adorned the previous national flag, and said there was no need for a new one until national elections are held in January and a new constitution is written. Hamid Kifaie, the chief spokesman for the Governing Council, said Monday night that the winning design, designed by an Iraqi artist named Rifaat Chaderchi, was chosen from among 30 entries. A committee of council members felt it best represented the major values and attributes of Iraq, Kifaie said. "This flag represents the democracy and freedom of the new Iraq, where the old one represented killing and oppression and dictatorship," he said. "We are not imposing this flag on the people; it was chosen by the legitimate representatives of Iraq. When a new national assembly is elected, it can decide whether to keep it or change it." To a large extent, however, public objections to the new flag seem to be intertwined with broader unhappiness with the 25-member Governing Council, which many Iraqis closely identify with U.S. interests. Criticism of council members, and disputes among them, have sharply increased with the approach of the June 30 deadline for U.S. authorities to hand over power to a new interim government, which is to remain in office until elections are held early next year.
