Flag of Algeria

The national flag of Algeria consists of two equal vertical bars, green and white, charged in the center with a red star and crescent, a symbol of Islam as the nation's prominent faith. The flag was adopted on 3 July 1962. A similar version was used by the Algerian government in exile from 1958 to 1962. The Western blazon is per pale vert and argent; a crescent and star gules.

There is no disagreement among Algerian, Islamic, and even foreign sources that the reference for the green color is Islamic. Ottoman admiral and ruler of the regency of Algiers Hayreddine Barbarossa adopted this color as an Islamic emblem in his wars against the Christian powers. The same color was later adopted by Algerian corsair Raïs Hamidou, and later by the leader of the Algerian resistance Emir Abdelkader, and the chief of the 1871 Kabyle uprising Hadj Mokrani. In the twentieth century, it was again taken up by the Algerians who demonstrated in the city of Skikda in 1910. It also appeared in the banner raised following the uprising in southern Constantine in 1917. In 1920 the French deputy Motier referred to it when addressing the Algerian-French elected representatives, saying: “Your policy will drive the Muslims to gather behind their green flag.” The Étoile Nord-Africaine later adopted it in 1934, and key national figure Messali Hadj considered this color to be the flag of Islam. The color red carries the meaning of jihad. According to Professor Abdeljelil Temimi, the origin of this choice goes back to the Rightly Guided Caliphs and then specifically to Caliph Umar. Red…