# Iraqi Flag **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 27, 2003, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iraqi-flag/157785 "2003-02-27T01:51:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2003, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iraqi-flag/157785/1 "2003-02-27T01:51:19Z")
What’s the arabic word on the Iraqi flag? My arabic reading skills are pretty rusty… kind of looks like (A)ky or something… doesn’t look like Iraq to me. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2003, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iraqi-flag/157785/2 "2003-02-27T01:54:32Z")
I believe its “Allah Akbar” or God is great… ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2003, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iraqi-flag/157785/3 "2003-02-27T02:00:51Z")
I see the Akbar part now that you mention it, but where’s the Allah? Looks like only one word to me. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2003, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iraqi-flag/157785/4 "2003-02-27T02:04:57Z")
_God is Great_ in Arabic. It’s a pathetic and shameless attempt by the anti-religion Baath party, whose ruthless dictator is subjugating Iraq, to “prove” that the United States is against Islam and not against said ruthless dictator. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2003, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iraqi-flag/157785/5 "2003-02-27T02:05:59Z")
Here’s a big picture: [http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/flags/iz-flag.html](http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/flags/iz-flag.html) ---
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2003, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iraqi-flag/157785/6 "2003-02-27T02:06:24Z")
It is Allah Akbar. It was added to the Iraqi flag during the Gulf War to make Saddam look more Islamic. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2003, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iraqi-flag/157785/7 "2003-02-27T02:07:23Z")
Sadaam’s not the first politician to find religion when he’s in political hot water. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2003, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iraqi-flag/157785/8 "2003-02-27T02:08:35Z")
Well I’ll be goldanged! I must’ve only seen it waving in the breeze before. Never saw the first word. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2003, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iraqi-flag/157785/9 "2003-02-27T02:16:10Z")
Didn’t Iraq only add those words to the flag in the runup to the first Gulf War? “First Gulf War” . . . how naturally those words come out now, already . . . ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2003, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iraqi-flag/157785/10 "2003-02-27T02:53:59Z")
It’s “Gulf War I”.