Crescent moon of Rome

Illustration/Devdutt Pattanaik

The Red Cross was established over 150 years ago to provide humanitarian and medical aid to victims of war and natural disasters. However, about 100 years ago, the organisation was renamed the Red Crescent for the Ottoman Empire, which controlled the Middle East at the time. The reason for this was simple: Muslims were comfortable with the Crescent Moon but not the Cross, and Christians were comfortable with the Cross but not the Crescent Moon. By creating these two symbols, aid could be provided in any part of the world where there was conflict, without upsetting the religious beliefs of the locals.

Countries like China, Japan, and India did not care much about either symbol because they did not hold such strong views. But why did the Crescent Moon become the symbol of Islam? You find it on the flag of Pakistan. Many believe it has to do with ancient Mesopotamians, who were timekeepers, and so worshipped the moon. Others say the Crescent Moon indicates the Eid Moon, which Muslims use to mark many celebrations. The star in the Islamic world is said to represent the morning or evening star, ie, Venus, visible at dawn and dusk. Venus was worshipped in ancient Babylon and Sumeria. But these explanations are not quite true.

The Crescent Moon in the Islamic world is entirely connected to Byzantium. Byzantium was the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, hence referred to as the second Rome. The symbol of this city was the Crescent Moon, in honour of the pagan goddess Diana. The sudden appearance of the moon had long ago revealed enemy soldiers and so saved the city. When Byzantium was conquered 500 years ago by the Seljuk Turks and renamed Istanbul, the Crescent Moon became the symbol of the Ottoman Empire. As a Christian city, Byzantium was known as Constantinople, but when it became Islamic, it was renamed as Istanbul.

The Ottomans saw themselves as Roman. In Persian and Turkish language, Rumi meant Roman. Christians refused to refer to the Muslim rulers as Romans and so referred to them as Ottoman. Over time, the Crescent Moon came to represent Islam since Istanbul was regarded as the seat of the Caliphate for 500 years.

Many Islamic nations choose the Crescent Moon as their symbol, a reminder of when Islam overpowered the Christian city of Constantinople, the second Rome. We can say the Crescent Moon is not so much about Islam as it is about the Muslim victory over Christendom.

When the British overpowered the Ottomans and carved the Middle East into various Arab states, ruled by various Arab tribes, they effectively took their revenge. It marked the end of the Caliphate. This happened slowly over the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. The humiliating end of the Caliphate at the hands of Christian Europe that insisted on calling itself secular, gave rise to Radical Islam as we know it today.

This is an old war. Before the rise of Islam and Christianity, the Romans and Greeks fought the Persians. Today, the same war continues, only we call it the war of "rational ideas" and "religious bigots". Everyone who notices the crescent moon in flags of 21 Islamic nations overlooks the cross in the flags of 31 Christian nations.

The author writes and lectures on the relevance of mythology in modern times. Reach him at devdutt.pattanaik@mid-day.com