The black flag holds a special place in Islamic history and tradition. Unlike the incorrectly presented claims on social media, the black flag is not a call to arms, conflict or revenge. Raising a black flag in a mosque represents a solemn expression of sadness, grief and solidarity, writes Truthmeter.mk.
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Facebook post claims that the black flag waving on the mosque in Iran means that a holy war has been waged against Israel, the US and their supporters and that their citizens are a legitimate target for jihad. This is not true. The black flag has a different meaning.
#BlackFlag of #jihad waving in #Iran on Razimi mosque in #Iran.
This means that a holy war against the countries of Israel and USA and their supporters has been declared.
This means that every citizen of Israel and USA throughout the world and all of their supporters are a legitimate target for #jihad.
You asked for it, states the post.
The more the Israeli-Palestinian war develops, the more disinformation appears online, especially on social media. That is the case with the post that is subject of this fact-check, that claims that placing a black flag on a mosque in Iran is a symbol of war and a call for war. However, that is not true. The black flag is a symbol of grief.
On October 18, 2023, a black flag was raised in the Iranian province Khorasan on the Imam Reza mosque in Mashhad, which is an Islam-practicing religious complex. However, the black flag is not a call for war. It is a symbol of grief in Shia Islam.
The flag was raised as a symbol of solidarity with the Palestinian people in Gaza where a hospital was hit during an air raid and hundreds of people were killed. Israel and Hamas are blaming one another for the attack, and the entire international community condemned the bombing.
The black flag has a special place in Islamic history and tradition. Unlike the incorrectly presented claims on the social networks, that is not a call to arms or conflict. This change to black is a solemn expression of sadness, grief and solidarity. In addition, the red flag symbolizes the quest for revenge. A red flag was last raised in the mosque Jamkaran in Qom as a response to the assassination of General Soleimani, and that was a call for revenge.
This is not the first time the black flag has been erected on mosque Imam Reza. It is also erected during the lunar months of Muharram and Safar, which are months of grief in the Islamic world.
The mausoleum Imam Reza is a well-known religious complex with enormous significance for the Twelve Shia Muslims and represents a focal point for religious pilgrimage. The complex also contains the Goharshad Mosque, a museum, a library, four seminaries, a graveyard, Razavi University of Islamic Sciences, a dining hall for pilgrims and vast prayer halls.
Claiming that Iran has raised a flag for vengeance is not only untrue, it spreads panic and fear to the public in an unfounded and tendentious manner, based on the escalation of the war between Israel and Palestine.
