UAE celebrates National Flag Day
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, has called on the people to celebrate National Flag Day. The annual celebration will take place for the 10th time in the country’s history – on 3 November 2022.
In particular, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid called on ministries and agencies to do their part to celebrate the momentous day for the United Arab Emirates, calling the flag a symbol of pride and unity of the nation.
In a social media post on Twitter, the UAE vice president urged civil servants to raise flags in an organised manner at 11am to fly it in the sky as a symbol of unity, pride, glory and sovereignty of the country.
Flag Day was first celebrated in the UAE in 2013. While it is not a public holiday, it is actively celebrated by schools, public institutions and private sector businesses by displaying flags on the facades of residential buildings and business centres.
The UAE national anthem is played during flag-raising ceremonies. The flag was created by a young Emirati, Abdullah Al Maynah, in 1971, who submitted it as a competition piece to a local newspaper. The four colours of the flag symbolise the Arab unity described in poems by Safiuddin Al Khali.
Red represents courage, green represents hope, white represents honesty and black represents strength of spirit. A total of more than 1,000 entries in the competition to choose the colours of the national flag.
Earlier, the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the UAE issued a warning against the improper use of the national flag. It is a crime punishable by 10 to 25 years in prison, as well as fines of up to 500,000 dirhams (US$ 136,000).
A series of social media postings have noted that the flag is a national symbol of identity, pride, sovereignty, authenticity and glory, and any attempt to misuse it is a punishable act.
According to Article 3 of Federal Law No. 2 of 1971 and its amendments, anyone who publicly and intentionally drops, damages or insults the UAE flag will face imprisonment and heavy fines in the specified amounts. This rule applies to all flags of the Gulf States.
Under Article 176 of the Federal Penal Code, anyone who insults, mocks, damages the reputation, prestige or standing of the state, its flag, its state symbols will also be prosecuted. The maximum prison sentence for such an offence is also 25 years.
Source: The National
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