Black Flag

Recent days have seen a spate of stories about a mysterious flag appearing in Benghazi, Libya: a black banner that reads "No god but God" in distinctive white lettering with what could be a reproduction of the Prophet Mohammad's seal underneath.

"Were it not for the deficiencies of reporting on Libya in the mainstream Western media," writes John Rosenthal in the National Review, "the appearance of al-Qaeda flags in the capital of the anti-Qaddafi rebellion should come as no surprise." Writing for Vice, Sherif Elhelwa reports that he even saw the flag flying atop the famous Benghazi courthouse that became a hotbed of resistance in Muammar al-Qaddafi's waning days, and that his efforts to find out why it was there were met with suspicion and threats.

Some observers are concerned its appearance presages a growing al Qaeda presence in the country. Others question whether the flag is actually that of al Qaeda, noting that some nonviolent Islamist groups like Hizb al-Tahrir use a similar flag -- and that they, like al Qaeda, are simply following oral traditions about the design of the Prophet Mohammad's battle flag.

The picture of the flag in question in Benghazi is unclear, but it resembles that of al Qaeda Iraq's umbrella group, the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI), which is not identical to those used by other Islamist groups, nor is it necessarily a faithful reproduction of the Prophet's battle flag. When the ISI adopted the flag, it issued a statement in 2007 explaining its design. In the statement, the group relates oral traditions portraying Mohammad's battle flag as either black or white (other traditions say yellow) with the words "No god but God, Mohammad is the messenger of God" written on it. The ISI chose black for its flag because most accounts say the Prophet's flag was black, and chose the Muslim testimony of faith because many accounts said it was written on the Prophet's flag.

For the second half of the testimony of faith, "Mohammad is the messenger of God," the ISI reproduces the Prophet's seal. They contend that the seal's design is preserved in Ottoman manuscripts and its three-lined text, "God/Messenger/Mohammad," is mentioned in oral traditions about the Prophet. They have added this seal to their flag, they explain, because some Muslim scholars say that it appeared on the Prophet's flag.

The ISI ends its explanation by expressing its hope that the people of Iraq will adopt the flag when they go out to aid the Mahdi, an allusion to a messianic figure who will appear at the end of times to lead the final battle against the infidel and establish God's rule over the entire Earth. According to a number of traditions, the Mahdi will carry the black flag when he comes from the east.

Many supporters of al Qaeda have adopted the ISI's flag as their own and use it as an emblem for the wider jihadi movement. Its appearance in Benghazi certainly raises questions about the sympathies of some within the movement that ousted Muammar al-Qaddafi, adding to widespread reports of fighters sympathetic to al Qaeda among the rebels.

Nevertheless, the appearance of the flag in other Arab countries is not necessarily evidence of growing support for al Qaeda or terrorist group's presence. It could just as easily be youth taking advantage of their newfound freedom to scare their elders, or repressed Salafis using the most shocking symbol possible to voice their anger in public. There is also an element of "Wish You Were Here" photography to many of the photos of the ISI's flag being unfurled around the Arab world and posted in jihadi forums. This is not to say that the appearance of the flags, particularly in protests, should be ignored. But more corroborating evidence is needed before hitting the panic button.

What follows are some examples of similar flags popping up across the region over the last few months.

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JUSTIN.ASUS85

11:35 PM ET

November 7, 2011

Comes to an end

everything comes to an end
Past few months we have seen some great people leave their positions. It started with the techcrunch the guy left after the

AOL drama and now this.

To be honest Al Jazeera was decent it was never that amazing and I reckon that type of news was always available around

many other channels I saw a lot in India and other countries I am not sure why people think it was the best thing happened?

If the guy stepped down then that is very good for him. I reckon he saw an end to all this being too HONEST. It is same

like many other careers for instance when I was getting my Phlebotomy

Certification. I was still working in mashable but I had to quit because I just couldn't continue the blogging and the work.

May be he has found a work or something.

my 2 cents.

ARABIAN KNIGHTS

9:01 AM ET

November 8, 2011

How about Some Basic Research?

Why not look up key members in the Libyan resistance instead of worrying about a flag- which is defiantly Al-Qaida's- no question about it... If the beards and the "Allah Akbar's" among the rebels did not get your attention, maybe some reading would help??
Funny, we had to wait for the flag to question spending a billion dollars supporting sworn enemies of the United States against a 'nut-job' dictator that claimed to be the 'friend of Obama's'- which is worse? I would go with the devil you know.... but then, I have no say in the democracy I live in today....
Belhaj, Sirdab, etc, etc- Qathafi was not lying when he said these people are Al-Qaida- sadly, we will find out when it is too late... I think it will be a fine day for America when Abu Yahya Al-Libi shows up (#3 in Al-Qaida if you dont know) to run the 'new Libya' as his brother is among those rebels- most of whom spent time in AFG, not long ago fighting.... drum beat....the US, but hey...its all about liberty these days! Get your AK-47 and scream injustice to the cameras (it helps that you do it on Al-Jazeera, as it seems to be the channel of choice in the White House today) and you are immediately a victim of a 'repressive regime'... No homework needed! 'Shut up and color,' I was told when I asked if anyone had any idea that we were helping our enemies- welcome to the world of being a 'tool'....
Seems a new trend, over the past decade, for the US to place terrorists in control of countries with oil, we did it in Iraq, placing Dawa party (the Shia version of Al-Qaida,) who took responsibility for bombing the US embassy in Kuwait in the 80, and a slue of other terrorists acts against the United States, is now 'democratically' sitting on the throne in Iraq. No one said, that in a democracy, one can not kill, kidnap, or arrest and accuse your opposition of terrorism or belonging to the Baath- to remain in power... But then... it is the new 'democracy' we back these days...
It used to be safe to walk in the streets of Baghdad at night, under the 'dictator'- today, one can not leave their house, I wounder how safe it is today, to walk in the streets of Libya?

THE-INTERN

9:33 AM ET

"Posted on May 10 to the

"Posted on May 10 to the jihadi website, Shmukh...."

Oh, dear. Might want to reconsider a name change there.

DANIELSERWER

9:47 AM ET

Flags are symbols

Has anyone bothered to ask someone carrying these flags what they are intended to signify?

Daniel Serwer
www.peacefare.net

AMANAWASHER

9:59 AM ET

Islam is best.

Islam is the best religion in the world. Islam gives the authority to womens. Islam gives the best rules of life to live. ;)

URGELT

10:25 AM ET

Dreams of Islamists

Islamists of every stripe (most are not terrorists) have, since the fall of the Ottoman Empire, dreamed of a united Islam. The fragmented corpse of the Ottomans, modern-day nations whose boundaries were drawn by Westerners, whose ruling families were installed by Westerners, and whose continuing fragmentation is enforced by Westerners, is a living insult to faithful Islamists.

They dream of a united Islamic superpower too strong for the West to bully, of a new caliphate which avoids the corruption of the Ottomans by strict adherence to the 'true faith' and religious law, something for which the decadent Ottomans cared little.

Islamic terrorists are working towards this dream. Their sacrifices have no meaning if the dream fades. They aren't actually anti-Western so much as they are pro-Islamist unification, which they expect to attain by overthrowing some of the regional governments and conducting a war of conquest against the rest.

Unfortunately for the Islamists and the terrorists who count themselves among them, they have serious problems, quite aside from Western opposition to the formation of such a superpower:

- The Shiite-Sunni divide. The moment the West is impotent to interfere in the region, they'll be at each others' throats, and they know it. I think that though Iran's rhetoric is anti-West (which may, they hope, draw Sunnis into their orbit), it's the Sunnis they really fear and are arming themselves to fight. Sunni-ruled nations are just as fearful of Shiites, who often constitute suspect minorities in their nations (or even majorities, as was the case in Iraq).

- The large numbers of secular Muslims and religious and cultural minorities who would prefer to keep government and religion separate, some of whom long for their own national unification (such as the Kurds). These peoples do not want what the Islamists want. In some of these nations - Pakistan, Turkey and Egypt being good examples - the militaries are secular institutions and are active obstacles to Islamist rule (though their security apparatuses sometimes use Islamists as pawns).

- Inertia. Having split into irrationally-bordered nations, many in the region now identify more locally. The Ottomans are just a bad memory, and not a very proud one; many Muslims aren't eager to sacrifice to achieve unification.

What's interesting to me about the Arab Spring is that it wasn't an Islamic phenomenon at all. It seems to have been entirely about social justice. Wikileaks rubbed their noses in the corruption, greed and cruelty of leaders in the region. Social media enabled wildfire rallies and demonstrations. Once it started, it was infectious. When corrupt rulers attempted to beat the rallies down by force, it just made more citizens mad and want to join them.

Islamist flags - again, I see no reason to infer that they are necessarily terrorist flags, but they do stand for pan-Islamic unification - don't seem to have been very important in the unfolding of the Arab Spring movement until now. But the Islamists are starting to emerge from the shadows and announce themselves, I think. They see governments falling. That's the first phase of the unification war they preach. So it's no surprise that they're now throwing up black flags and attempting to shift the movement in the direction they want it to go.

I have no idea whether or not it will work.

I suppose it might. I'm reminded of the French revolution. After a few heady years of anything-goes freedom, the murderous purges began. It ended with an autocracy which differed from the old monarchy mostly by being far more militant.

Westerners who hope to create a stable, peaceful and still-divided Islamic world will do well to ponder the importance of those black flags, which represent a view of the region's future which is completely opposed to Western aspirations.

SHAZIB111

10:52 AM ET

i completely agree..

i completely agree with your statement "It could just as easily be youth taking advantage of their newfound freedom to scare their elders, or repressed Salafis using the most shocking symbol possible to voice their anger in public. There is also an element of "Wish You Were Here" photography to many of the photos of the ISI's flag being unfurled around the Arab world and posted in jihadi forums." Raising al-Qaeda flags doesn't mean they support al-Qaeda, but this flag contains kalima of muslims and means there is no god other than Allah(God) and MOHD(SAW) is his messenger.
Regard,
Shazib, an skin care tips/ skin care products expert

AKW

1:03 PM ET

Survey

Muslim support for al-Qaeda by country in 2010 (before Arab Spring):

Lebanon 6%
Turkey 26%
Egypt 28%
Jordan 38%
Indonesia 44%
Nigeria 51%

Survey didn't include Gaza, Lybia or Syria.

http://pewglobal.org/2010/12/02/muslims-around-the-world-divided-on-hamas-and-hezbollah/

SETH EDENBAUM

1:42 PM ET

Our friends the Saudis

Most of the comments above come from the alternate reality where Ian Paisley is the Pope.

Ted Koppel in the WSJ
http://spme.net/cgi-bin/articles.cgi?ID=7965

"Israeli officials want a public commitment from Washington to protect the Saudi regime should it come under threat."

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/01/31/us-egypt-israel-usa-idUSTRE70U53720110131
"Israel shocked by Obama's 'betrayal' of Mubarak"

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-20129178/israel-defends-settlement-push-amid-criticism/

Settlements Expand

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/unesco-votes-to-admit-palestine-over-us-objections/2011/10/31/gIQAMleYZM_story.html

"UNESCO votes to admit Palestine; US cuts off funding"

And we're selling arms to Bahrain to help the Saudis suppress the uprising.

AKW your numbers are off. Reread your link.

The best description and analysis
http://conflictsforum.org/2011/the-‘great-game’-in-syria

AMINAKIS

6:43 PM ET

i agree with you

i completely agree with your statement "It could just as easily be youth taking advantage of their newfound freedom to scare their elders, or repressed Salafis using the most shocking symbol possible to voice their porn movies in public. There is also an element of "Wish You Were Here" photography to many of the photos of the ISI's flag being unfurled around the Arab world and posted in jihadi forums." Raising al-Qaeda flags doesn't mean they support al-Qaeda, but this contains kalima of muslims and means there is no god other than Allah(God) and MOHD(SAW) is his messenger.
Regard,
Shazib, an skin care tips/ skin care products expert

6:44 PM ET

Foreign Policy Magazine

Inside National Security

A mysterious Islamist banner has been popping up across the Middle East, from Benghazi to Lebanon. Is it a simply a sign of faith or the battle flag of al Qaeda?

BY WILLIAM MCCANTS | NOVEMBER 7, 2011

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