# Chaldean flag

The Chaldean flag (Syriac: ܐܬܐ ܟܠܕܝܐ ʾāṯā ʾkaldāyē) is an Assyrian separatist ethnic flag designed to represent Chaldean Catholics. The flag was created by Amer Hanna Fatuhi (Shendaj), an artist and self-proclaimed historian who currently resides in the Metro Detroit area, where a considerable portion of Assyrians of the Chaldean Catholic Church live.

## Visuals and symbolism

The two blue lines on the left and right represent the rivers of native lands which encompass Chaldean-Assyrian villages and establishments, the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. In the middle of the flag, an eight-fold Mesopotamian star can be seen with two inner circles of yellow and blue, with eight sets of wavy blue lines radiating from the star. The yellow and blue circles represent the Sun and Moon, respectively, a nod to the contributions that the ancient Chaldeans made to astronomy. The yellow circle, alongside the red triangles and wavy blue lines, also represent goodness, justice, equality, and civilization. This disc-star combination represents that of the ancient Assyrian god and goddess Shamash and Ishtar, most similar to the style used under Qasimist Iraq during the early 1960s.

## Controversy

Since its inception, and similarly to the Aramean-Syriac flag, the Chaldean flag has generated controversy due to its associations with Assyrian separatism. Criticisms are levied towards the symbolism of the flag, with claims stating that Chaldean Catholics are not descendants from Chaldea, nor do they have any long-lasting connection to ancient Babylon. The Chaldean name itself is known to designate professionals in astrology, of which Chaldean culture has never had anything to resemble. Additionally, no recollected cuneiform scripts or relics suggest that the iconography of Shamash and Ishtar on the flag had any known significance to ancient Chaldeans, and are symbols commonly associated with the Assyrian empire; the Assyrians and Babylonians themselves designated the ancient Chaldeans as foreigners who were non-native to the region. Many well known Chaldean figures, including former patriarch of the Chaldean Church Raphael I Bidawid and current patriarch Louis Raphaël I Sako, and others such as Paul Elia, Anna Eshoo, Basim Bello, and Janan Sawa have embraced Assyrian identity, while some of them have been critical of past separatism.
Additional criticism has been levied towards the copyright of the flag, with observers having noted a Letter of Authorization that declares Fatuhi as "the sole designer and owner of the Chaldean National Flag in all its versions...", and copyrights in place since the late 20th-century in Iraq and the United States. The statement goes on to read that any use of the flag in advertising resulting in a profit exceeding US$1,000 holds a person liable for compensation, suggesting that the flag is backed by a means of profit.
Certain issues regarding the origins of the Chaldean flag have come to light in court case involving Amer Fatuhi (Shendaj) and Sarhad Jammo, a bishop for the Chaldean Catholic Church in San Diego. During a 1996 lecture to members of his clergy titled "Chaldeans in the Third Millenium", Jammo claimed "Don't be dumps, all of us! Including me, to think that my forefathers didn't understand that the ones living in Tel Keppe or Alqosh, they didn't know that they were Assyrians?" Involving himself with the Chaldean Federation of America, he helped create the initial design for the Chaldean flag, which was approved by the General Assembly of the Federation as a means of unity for the Assyrian diaspora. Unbeknownst to Jammo and the rest of the CFA, Shendaj had filed a copyright on the flag, intending to gain sole acknowledgment as the creator so as to increase the profits of his own works of art prior. It is speculated that the lawsuit involved a personal vendetta, since Jammo was the only one who was sued, and not the entire Chaldean Federation. Eventually, a settlement was reached between Jammo and Shendaj, but not before being breached causing Shendaj to sue Jammo again.
The flag sees most prominent use in the Assyrian diaspora, including English-speaking areas such as the United States, Canada, and Australia. In the Assyrian homeland, the flag can be seen sparsely in Ankawa, Erbil, and is designated the official flag of the Babylon Movement led by Rayan al-Kildani.

## Gallery

* Chaldean flag, adopted sometime between the 1990s and 2000s
* Randa Markos, a UFC fighter from Canada, holding the flag