Star and Crescent

So I was watching Kingdom of Heaven and I noticed the Muslims used a moon crescent on their banners. Is that accurate? I've heard several stories of how this became to be a symbol of Islam.

The entire film is fictitious anyway so yes, this is not accurate.

Hi guys a thread "Sasanid Crowns (Star & Crescent)" discusses this question

and it was raised again in this thread "Crescent and the Star, how did they become the symbols of Islam?".

I am convinced its Babylonian when the crescent and star is combined and then became more regional.

I know, and they still don't.

Certainly it was the Ottoman Khalifa that popularised it.

So, what is clear is that this so called Islamic symbol is actually paganic, which must be unacceptable to the Islamic world. The Islamic conferance should do something about that. Removing the crescent from their flag would be a good start.

Originally posted by The Hidden Face So, what is clear is that this so called Islamic symbol is actually paganic, which must be unacceptable to the Islamic world. The Islamic conferance should do something about that. Removing the crescent from their flag would be a good start.   Don't you think so?

i think so too.

as i mentioned before i always thought of the crescent on top of the minaret as a symbol for the Hilal of the Holy month of Ramadan and how special that month and also how important the moon is for islamic calender.

i dont think many muslims know that this symbol came to islam via Turks who continued using it after they became muslims.

Well if I were a follower of Mohamed i certainly wouldn't want a pagan symbol atop my place of worship or on my national flag. But there are levels of traditionality to the religion from the ones who think the hijab is only an option to the ones that follow the Koran strictly and allow no instrument or dancing. (IIRC) Some might just think it isn't worth the trouble of changing anything.

Well "islamic" nations aren't only "followers of mohammad" they have cultural pasts aside from that of Arabic. Some of them have their own national symbols. You may call them paganic but they are national too. They are embraced by these nations for thousands of years.

Like this symbol. Like Turks, Iranians' other symbols... they have many symbols may be regarded as "paganic" and we have no problem with.

Being a "follower of Mohammad" doesn't make you an Arab.

And to the star and crescent. Let me give a couple of symbolic infos.

Crescent: It's the symbol of moon goddeses which are a connected with mother goddeses and fertility deities. Which is also the symbol of the cult of women. In Greek, Hittitian and Mesopotamian Mythologies.

Star: It's also a symbol for a specific type of goddesses. Ishtar for example. Which is the very equivalent of Aphrodite and all love and war goddesses. Ishtar literally means "star"

I think "Crescent and Star" has a pagan past which is connected to the matriarchal culture. Which is a fine thing :)

Originally posted by Efraz BTW I have to correct myself here. All religions have a paganic past. These religions did not come from outer space, of course they all have connections with elder beliefs.

This is very true. You can find most symbols going further back than their current use with hints in their meaning still carrying on even if they do change over time. The moon carrys on with the Virgin Mary for instance in some iconograhy (AFAIK latin catholic). though instead of being on her head, its on her feet.

The Crescent and Star is quite interesting. I have read on the below source that it meant different things depending on which way the moon was facing in the symbol and this connects back to the dual nature of Ishtar/Astarte/Inanna (Shaushga ?). I used the same n one my two old posts (in the above  links ) but i would like to cross reference it

In its role as the goddess of war and fertility it is associated with the Morning star. In its role as the divinity of sexual love it is associated with the Evening star.

www.symbols.com

from a better part of that website that goes into more detail

It was only when humans realized that the Morning star and the Evening star were the same planet that the pentagon, , and the four-year period could be linked to .     The Akkadians were the first to realize this. Inanna, the Sumerian queen of the heavens and the daughter of the moon for the Semitic Akkadians became the contradictory Ischtar. Still the queen of the heavens, Ischtar (Astarte) was the holy virgin but also "she who accomodates men", the goddess of battle and war, but also the goddess of beauty, peace and sex.     Three were the highest divinities in the EuphratesTigris region. Their symbols can be seen in almost every ancient mythological representation. They are , the sun god; , the moon god; and , Inanna, Ischtar, Astarte.

www.symbols.com