# Islamic symbols **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 12, 2011, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/islamic-symbols/605927 "2011-12-12T17:46:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Jamodu\_Green](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Jamodu\_Green](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jamodu_Green)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2011, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/islamic-symbols/605927/21 "2011-12-13T12:09:29Z")
> [@Foggy](#): > > Funny, I was just thinking about this the other day, though I was thinking in terms of jewelry. > > Do people of the Islamic faith wear anything equivalent to a cross or Star of David? A couple of male Muslims I went to school with wore scimitar pendants. I did some quick research - I think it may have been the Sword of Ali. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2011, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/islamic-symbols/605927/22 "2011-12-13T12:45:42Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > About 12–13 years ago, Ramadan coincided with Christmas and Hanukkah time. The South Lawn of the White House displayed a giant menorah and an Islamic crescent alongside its giant Christmas tree. The crescent was light green and looked exactly like a giant unripe banana. > > It was defaced by vandals, of course, with anti-Muslim slurs. Cite? I’d need a reliable press article about it before I’d believe that anything located on the south lawn of the White House - under heavy surveillance and tightly guarded by the US Secret Service, who are typically armed with automatic weapons and a healthy paranoia - could be subjected to vandalism. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2011, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/islamic-symbols/605927/23 "2011-12-14T00:09:36Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > About 12–13 years ago, Ramadan coincided with Christmas and Hanukkah time. The South Lawn of the White House displayed a giant menorah and an Islamic crescent alongside its giant Christmas tree. The crescent was light green and looked exactly like a giant unripe banana. > > It was defaced by vandals, of course, with anti-Muslim slurs. Pre-9/11? ---
**Author:** ![Shmendrik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Shmendrik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shmendrik)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2011, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/islamic-symbols/605927/24 "2011-12-14T01:00:03Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > Cite? I’d need a reliable press article about it before I’d believe that anything located on the south lawn of the White House - under heavy surveillance and tightly guarded by the US Secret Service, who are typically armed with automatic weapons and a healthy paranoia - could be subjected to vandalism. What if Chelsea did it? ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2011, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/islamic-symbols/605927/25 "2011-12-14T01:45:51Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > You might also want to note that there are no Christmas trees in the Bible. Why would they want to note that? Is there a reason for this post? ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2011, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/islamic-symbols/605927/26 "2011-12-14T04:35:39Z")
> [@Namkcalb](#): > > What about the hand of Fatimah? That was what I was thinking about too. Wearing one is quite similar to wearing a star of David. Though I don’t think men ever wear the hand. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2011, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/islamic-symbols/605927/27 "2011-12-14T05:47:37Z")
> [@Namkcalb](#): > > What about the hand of Fatimah? You mean the [Hamsa](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamsa)? That’s not an exclusively Muslim symbol - it’s just as popular as a good luck charm among Middle Eastern Jews and Christians. I have several around my house myself. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2011, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/islamic-symbols/605927/28 "2011-12-14T06:12:13Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > Cite? I’d need a reliable press article about it before I’d believe that anything located on the south lawn of the White House - under heavy surveillance and tightly guarded by the US Secret Service, who are typically armed with automatic weapons and a healthy paranoia - could be subjected to vandalism. December 29, 1997 WASHINGTON - U.S. Park Police are looking for vandals who defaced a sculpture of an Islamic crescent and star erected near the national Christmas tree and giant Hanukkah menorah within view of the White House. The plywood star was torn down Friday night and covered with a spray-painted swastika. Meanwhile, the artist who erected the sculpture said he planned to repair and repaint it. Mohamed Said Ouafi of Arlington, Va., said he hoped the vandalism was by youths on a lark rather than an attack on Islam. [http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19971229&slug=2580607](http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19971229&slug=2580607) It was actually 14 years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Capitaine\_Zombie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@Capitaine\_Zombie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capitaine_Zombie)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2011, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/islamic-symbols/605927/29 "2011-12-14T09:02:35Z")
> [@Namkcalb](#): > > What about the hand of Fatimah? That’s what I thought of immediately when reading the OP. > [@Alessan](#): > > You mean the [Hamsa](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamsa)? That’s not an exclusively Muslim symbol - it’s just as popular as a good luck charm among Middle Eastern Jews and Christians. I have several around my house myself. In theory yes, in practice not really. It is not an exclusively Muslim symbol but it certainly isnt as popular among Christians and Jews than it is among Muslims. Though I have the feeling that there might be a difference between North Africa and the rest of the Middle East on this (and I only know North Africa). > [@clairobscur](#): > > That was what I was thinking about too. Wearing one is quite similar to wearing a star of David. Though I don’t think men ever wear the hand. In France at least, and in North Africa, it is quite akin to the wearing of the star of David. And men do wear it. BTW, nice to see you back **clairobscur** , was wondering where you had gone. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2011, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/islamic-symbols/605927/30 "2011-12-14T09:21:03Z")
> [@Capitaine\_Zombie](#): > > In theory yes, in practice not really. It is not an exclusively Muslim symbol but it certainly isnt as popular among Christians and Jews than it is among Muslims. Though I have the feeling that there might be a difference between North Africa and the rest of the Middle East on this (and I only know North Africa). > . It’s very popular here in Israel - you see them on necklaces, on charm bracelets and on walls everywhere. I bought my wife a silver \*hamsa \*on a chain when we found out she was pregnant with our son, for good luck. As an atheist, she’d have been very uncomfortable if I had given her a religious symbol. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2011, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/islamic-symbols/605927/31 "2011-12-14T12:58:53Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > December 29, 1997 WASHINGTON - U.S. Park Police are looking for vandals who defaced a sculpture of an Islamic crescent and star erected near the national Christmas tree and giant Hanukkah menorah within view of the White House. > > The plywood star was torn down Friday night and covered with a spray-painted swastika. > > Meanwhile, the artist who erected the sculpture said he planned to repair and repaint it. Mohamed Said Ouafi of Arlington, Va., said he hoped the vandalism was by youths on a lark rather than an attack on Islam. > [http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19971229&slug=2580607](http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19971229&slug=2580607) > > It was actually 14 years ago. OK, there was an incident, but it was not on the south lawn of the white house (which is off limits to the general public); [it was in the President’s Park on the ellipse.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Christmas_Tree#Location_of_the_National_Christmas_Tree) ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2011, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/islamic-symbols/605927/32 "2011-12-14T14:31:09Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > You might also want to note that there are no Christmas trees in the Bible. > [@Mahaloth](#): > > Why would they want to note that? Is there a reason for this post? Because, as has been noted a thousand times, a Christmas tree has about as much to do with Christianity as a Cabbage Patch Doll does. If the OP had said, “crucifix” he’d be onto something. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2011, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/islamic-symbols/605927/33 "2011-12-14T15:31:19Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > Because, as has been noted a thousand times, a Christmas tree has about as much to do with Christianity as a Cabbage Patch Doll does. We are not amused. (Albert talked Victoria into Xmas trees.) 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/islamic-symbols/605927.md?page=1)