Jan
29
2010
Iran Patriotism Special: Wiping the Green From The Flag
Posted by Scott Lucas in Middle East & IranYesterday we noted that the Iran flag had morphed from Red, White, and Green into Red, White, and Blue in a speech by President Ahmadinejad to officials:
I thought this might have been a production slip-up, with the Iranian flag melting away into the sky, but now a 2nd photo has emerged, from Ahmadinejad’s introduction of the new head of the Islamic Republic News Agency:
Golnaz Esfandiari of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty has more on the story.
Entries (RSS)
Ironic that this turns their flag red, white, and blue.
Well, look who’s flying “Satan’s” colors. One would think they would choose any (any!) other color that blue. The Green Movement terrifies them. Can you think of anything that would make any country change the colors of their flag to those of their worst enemies?
Ironic that they’re thus excising a color known for its association w/Islam.
Hold on!!! What about Hamas???? They are very “green” . Has anybody noticed if they are running around in blue these days?
Barry
mwhite is exactly right, in fact, green was specifically chosen to represent Islam on the flag. even more comical, blue was the color of the old “imperial emblem” before 1979. (4 legs good, 2 legs better!)
The flag is normal. It flies everywhere that Islam grows and takes root. To show our support of the green color, we will be pasting leaves on all the bare branches of trees, even if it snows. However the evil herbicides from the evil UK are destroying the green. Also, we will be painting the town red…
We are scrubbing the green moss from all the trees and washing the moss from Azadi Tower.
There must limits to the green moss and rolling stones.
The UK is green with envy. Their intelligence agent and spy, Mr. Roy G. Biv is being expelled immediately
Regime Announcement: No change has occurred to the Iranian flag’s colors, but the color formerly known as blue is now known as green. The color formerly known as green is forbidden.
White is the color of peace. Blue is the color of the sky, symbolizing ideals, reflection, thought. They too must go. Only red is appropriate for this bloody tyranny.
As even the UK decadents poets have revealed: “What’s in a color/would not a green rose smell as sweet?”… “What’s in a name/Would not a rose by any other name smell as sweet?” — NO, it is not sweet. A rose must have thorns.
What’s in a name? We will not be fooled again. We will recapture Mullah Nasrudin. Our agents have read of his antics here and we will not allow his works to be published. Names such as in this are forbidden. We read everywhere and the blues will be defeated. No one can give our patriots the blues. Victory is through the green door of Islam. We own the garden…
I think IR should change its flag to black-red-black. The top black for have put the nation in state of mourning for 31 years and for many year to come, the red for spilling blood of innocent Iranians, and the other black for having a black heart and mind. In the center they should remove Allah and put a noose.
As another good action for civil disobedience, all available IT experts should change the flags on their videos or official event photos to other colours – instead of green, black (mourning), (you got it first Megan) or pink (feminine) or scottish tartan (independant spirit), or why not brown to show the hitlerian aspect, …. whatever the message to be conveyed. The greens could also be glad and say thanks as continuing green on the flag today is almost (or is) an insult to their movement.
and shocking, my imagination is going wild, why not a lovely print of Marilyn Monroe on AM’s horrible jacket, or Madonna on Khameini’s ugly robe ?
This is very weird and a clumsy move if on purpose (so much so I have difficulty believing it to be true). I cant really imagine what the regime stands to gain by embarrassing itself like this. If they are worried the green in the flag reminds people of the ongoing demonstrations then removing it will remind people even more potently.
Oh a SECOND photo — well, that PROVES it then, doesn’t it? LOL! The first photo doesn’t even show flag — it is showing the SKY which at least here on planet earth is indeed blue. So in fact all you have as “evidence” is ONE photo — which may be photoshopped. This reminds me of the FALSE story that the Iranian soccer players wore green wristbands as evidence of their support for Mousavi when in fact their shirt collars were also green because green was simply part of their uniform’s color combination. How pathetic to try to exaggerate your importance by promoting such BS.
Hass,
I do not know if green wristband for soccer team was photo shopped. We read in the news that some players were benched and were not allowed to play in the next game after green wristband incident. I understand one player opted to retire after that incident.
I certainly do not have any evidence to confirm or deny either of these two incidents, the flag and the soccer players green wristbands. Do you have any evidence?
I personally took the flag as a tease and played along. From comments it is obvious so did other readers.
good comment!
[...] have reacted by taking the green band in Iran’s flag and turning it to blue. See here and here. Before rigging the elections this summer, the regime had warned the opposition not to attempt a [...]
No one said that the green wristbands were photoshopped Megan. Regarding the green wristbands, it was pointed out that it was a standard part of the players’ uniforms, along with their green shirt collars and green design on the front of their shirts — and so, not a political statement.
The point is that this is a BS story that is being repeated without any basis. One photo of a blue flag proves nothing.
And the rumor that the soccer players were sacked was also false.
I mean, seriously Scott– you claim that Iran is deliberately eliminating the green from the flag and has gone to the bother of painting it blue — and yet there’s Ahmadinejad, in the photo you’re using, standing before a GREEN flag. GREEN. Why is THAT flag not also blue? Did they forget?
Why do you repeat such bS?
Hass,
Hey, don’t shoot me, I’m just the messenger. If the Iranian Students News Agency publishes such photos, it’s my obligation as a journalist to pass them on.
S.
hass,
Are you an Iranian?
Seems typically heavy-handed and tone-deaf, if true.
Do they imagine, with green gone from the flag, protesters will ALSO give it up?
If anything, it cedes the color to the protesters, who will then embrace it that much more strongly as a symbol of solidarity.
And if it’s true that it’s a color closely associated with Islam, the government concedes that association as well.
And to the previous post about the flag in the foreground, you need a little more time to change an actual flag that to change a BG…
Actually Scott the duty of a journalist is not two pass along whatever someone elase says especially when it’s bs like this.
Hass is right.
“Actually Scott the duty of a journalist is not to pass along whatever someone else says, especially when it’s bs like this.”
Hass: That’s why we call Scotts work ‘citizen journalism’ and that’s why we (non-citizen) journalists keep an eye on his blog – to read all that’s out there, double check what we read and then report on it (or not) – and have a laugh occasionally… Like in this case.
Look, funny video slip-ups are a part of the news. I recall when Ari Fleischer used to stand in front of the Presidential Seal and the border would look just like horns coming out of his head because he was the exact wrong height. These things are just simply funny. No need to attack about it, it’s not like this site only gives frivolous news. It’s not outrageous to put a lighthearted story in once in a while.
Oops, sorry. Just realised that my comment no. 26 can be read as ‘citizen journalists don’t need to check their facts’…
Which isn’t true of course, and isn’t the habit on this blog!
Just in this case checking was a bit hard – and reporting too much fun!
So Rev Magdalen and WitteKr basically think that Enduring America is a comedy site, sort of like Colbert? Well, considering the prominence given to this story about the regime opposing the color green, then I guess I have to agree. It is a joke.
Incidentally, look how many other sites have now started to report — as fact — that the Iranians are trying to secretly change the green flag to a blue one. Yet another BS story that has become truth through mere repetition. And Enduring America was a prominent part of that. Tsk. Tsk Scott. If you really want to play the “I’m a journalist” role, then you should write a post about how this story is BS and has no real substance. That would be journalism.
Scott thought the news was so noteworthy to give it a separate entry, rather than have it being part of the liveblog.
Dear All, Gosh, you’re right. I’m so embarrassed that I reprinted photographs from the websites of Iranian state media and had a bit of fun with the mix-ups/errors/mischief/inanity that led someone in the Iranian system to turn the flag Red, White, and Blue. (A clear symbol that engagement between the US and Iran is working?) To preserve my reputation and applications for employment with reliable news sites like Fars News, IRNA, and Press TV, I will take my tongue out of my cheek and attach the appropriate logo:
http://enduringamerica.com/wp-content/uploads/warninglabel23-300×150.jpg
Hmmm, The flag on the pole is obviously green, the first photo the flag blends into a blue sky background, nothing to see there. Only the second one is actually blue, but the flag on the pole is still green.
Isn’t this kind of silly though? Kinda detracts from the serious issues, this is like the crazy Birchers seeing the hammer and sickle in corporate logos, designs and flags etc…
“I THOUGHT this might have been a production slip-up, with the Iranian flag melting away into the sky, BUT now a 2nd photo has emerged”
Gee Scott that doesn’t sound “tongue in cheek” — no, that sounds like you were giving credence to the report. I’m not sure since when IRNA set the standard, but I am sure you can still find work at the NY Times and NPR etc because their standards aren’t much higher, as evidenced by the fact that they reported the “green wristbands” story too without bothering to check it out. That’s the standard of journalism, nowdays, unfortunately. Hype and gossip and rumor, repeated and embellished and parroted.
Oh I forgot to say that you can also go work for RFE/RL because this is yet another instance of them promoting total BS. When it comes to Iran, as long as you cook up something negative, it doesn’t matter how imaginary it is. Someone will pay you to promot it.
Haas,
I’ll be sure to show my tongue more clearly to you in the future :)…. Somebody in the Government’s publicity machine messed up/got mischievous/did something stupid. You can enjoy the moment (as I did), deal with it, or stamp your foot at how unfairly you’re being treated.
If you really want to engage with news and analysis, don’t cherry-pick these two stories (even though your assertions on the green wristband story are both diversionary and wrong — you and I both know that there has been running protest, using Iranian football as a stage, since June).
If you really want to engage with news and analysis, deal with the 100s of stories on EA since June: the issues over the protests, the detentions, the executions, the legitimacy of the Government, the battles within the Government and the regime, the question of the Supreme Leader’s authority, the contest over the Constitution and issues like free speech.
If you want to engage me on these matters, as most EA readers do, I would be most grateful. Otherwise, let’s take your sniping about “journalism” for what it is: a a trifling, negative attempt — itself a poor imitation of the line put out repetitively by the high-profile defenders of the Government — borne out of frustration and difficulty in dealing with the situation that has emerged since June, to belittle rather than making a contribution.
Have a great day and do try to have a bit of fun,
S.
hass,
You did not answer my question (I asked you earlier in this thread); are you an Iranian? Please answer Yes or No.
I would like to know what makes you an authority on Iran National Football team and their uniforms. By the way we do not call the game soccer in Iran, we call it football. Since you are an expert on this sport in Iran you may want to at least call it the way we do.
In the meantime please take a look at the following news outlet reporting on green wristband controversy. Are you suggesting that CNN, Guardian, New York Daily News and Telegraph (to name a few) all fabricated the news that 1) six players wore green wristband (please see the photo and player jerseys) during face off with South Korea and 2) four players were sent to retirement after the wristband controversy.
http://www.peykeiran.com/Content.aspx?ID=2349
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jun/23/iran-football-protest-ban
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/2009/06/24/2009-06-24_iran_soccer_players_banned.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/5620334/Iran-football-players-banned-after-Mahmoud-Ahmadinejad-protest.html
http://www.iranian.com/main/2009/jun/karimi-mahdavi-kia-hashemian-kaabi
If Scott Lucas journalism does not meet your standard why don’t you show some journalistic ethic yourself and stop distorting the news about an event many of us have first hand knowledge?
its none of your business Megan if I am Iranian or not. ANd yes, those outlets were plain wrong. In fact if you look the photo used by NBC, you’ll clearly see the GREEN shirt collar and the GREEN shirt design that matched the green wristbands .
http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/31408043
Hey Scott, its only “trifling” because you were caught promoting BS.
Face it. Just say “Gee I was wrong, and I shouldn’t have given so much credence to this report” instead of trying to accuse me of holding you to a standard.
Hass,
1. From Mehr, June 2009: “Iran’s team manager, Mansour Pourheidari, said to reporters: ‘This was not a political move, but rather players were using an Islamic symbol to defeat Korea. Because players felt the move maybe mistaken for a political act, we asked the players to take off the wristbands.’” The wristbands, which were not part of a team kit, never reappeared.
2. I’m sorry we couldn’t make you smile.
3. I’ve had a bit of fun with this. Noow I’ve got more important issues to cover, issues which you will continue to avoid in favour of riding your wobbling hobby-horses into the sunset. Good-bye.
S.
I have to say, this article didn’t come off as tongue in cheek, not at all. Even now that you say it yourself, Scott, I have a hard time believing it was. In fact, the first people who commented seemed to take it seriously and you didn’t bother pointing out it was a joke. Was your previous article about the flag colors also tongue in cheek? because it also talked about some serious shit. Seems odd to mix the jokes and the serious stuff just like that.
Ariel,
I take the point — the Warning Label should have gone up when the post went up, not in my later comment. I never thought this was a deliberate attempt by the regime to wipe Green from the flag; more likely, it was a screw-up by someone inside the Government over presentation. Not good, however, to do it twice within days.
That said, I think there is a wider point here. The Government, and Ahmadinejad in particular, is looking increasingly haphazard and even chaotic in its attempts to spin a public-relations line inside as well as outside Iran — on the one hand, the threats and arrests, on the other, the stumbling attempts to look “Presidential” amidst troubles with Parliament and the lack of legitimacy.
If you can’t get your flag right, might want to rethink the strategy….
S.
hass,
You answered my question; you are not. [Removed by moderator]. Sorry, I do not buy your BS on wristband.
i think they are making the flag blue on purpose on whatever they can with out resorting to actually making new flags with blue on it !! they think they are being smart by putting it into peoples subconscious …
only time can show if they continue doing this.