The Crescent and Star on Middle East Flags PRE DATES Islam – True Origin is Pagan and Imperial, not Islamic or Qur'anic. Freemason/Shriners Wear Red Fez Hats with Crescent and Star Symbols.
Psychopath In Your Life with Dianne Emerson · Dianne Emerson
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Why does the POPE and SANTA wear the same hat? (psychopathinyourlife.com)
Early Shrine of North America Photographs (phoenixmasonry.org)
Freemasonry, The Shriners and Their Islamic Assyrian Origin (isawthelightministries.com)
https://archive.org/stream/meccatempleancie00anci/meccatempleancie00anci_djvu.txt
Alcazar Shrine | Shrine History (alcazarshriners.com)
Our History | Shriners International
Shriners Hat: History and Style of Iconic Fez Headwear » Explore Freemasonry
History of the Shriners – Kosair Shrine Center
Famous Shriners Members List (ranker.com)
Islam-Inspired Masonic Cult That Inlufenced US for years: The Shriners - Onedio
Our History | Shriners International
Brother Harry – Markland Mason
Grey passport scandal - Wikipedia
How To Make Your Phone INVISIBLE To Tracking in 2025 (youtube.com)
Private Prison CEO Loves Trump Anti-Immigration Deportation Surge (theintercept.com)
In 1829, Sultan Mahmud II of the Ottoman Empire made a big change. He ordered all civil officials to wear the plain fez and banned turbans. This was a key moment in the history of the Shriners hat, also known as the fez hat.
How it Became Associated with Shriners
Shriners International started using the fez in 1872. It was inspired by an Arabian-themed party. Today, nearly 500,000 Shriners wear it, showing their tradition and values.
SHRINER, MASON CONNECTIONBack in the 7th century, there was a Christian city in Morocco named Fez. The Muhammedans attacked it, and after a lengthy siege, captured the city. The invaders gathered the 20,000 Christian defenders into the city square, made them dig a ditch, and put them to the sword there. When the blood of those Christian martyrs filled the ditch, the Muslims dipped their conical white hats in the blood. The Muslims then named their red hats (which incidentally carried the Islamic star and crescent emblem), the Red Fez, and that same Red Fez is worn by Shriners today.
The Muslim immigrants to this country are now joining the Masonic order by the droves, seeing the order as an extension of the Allah in whom they already believe. Since the Masonic oath demands that a member place his loyalty to a fellow Mason above his loyalty to anything else, so-called Masonic "Christians" are the sworn allies of the murderers of our brethren worldwide -- past, present and future.
The Muslim Koran teaches of having personal slaves and is still practiced in 2000.
Who was Prince Hall?
- Prince Hall (c. 1735–1807) was a free Black man in colonial America who became a leader in the fight for civil rights for African Americans.
- He is best known for founding Prince Hall Freemasonry, a branch of Freemasonry established for Black men who were denied admission to mainstream (predominantly white) Masonic lodges in the 18th and 19th centuries.
What is Prince Hall Freemasonry?
- Prince Hall Freemasonry started in 1784 when Hall and 14 other Black men were initiated into Masonry through a lodge attached to the Grand Lodge of England.
- This branch became a powerful fraternal organization that provided mutual aid, community service, and leadership for Black communities across the U.S.
What is the Prince Hall Shriner?
- The Prince Hall Shriners are the African American branch of the Shriners fraternity.
- Officially called The Ancient Egyptian Arabic Order Nobles Mystic Shrine of North and South America and Its Jurisdictions, Inc. (AEAONMS), founded in 1893.
- Like the original Shriners (A.A.O.N.M.S.), Prince Hall Shriners blend Masonic traditions with colorful Middle Eastern-inspired imagery (fez hats, crescent emblems, scimitars) and a strong focus on charity.
- Their mission emphasizes community service, particularly helping children, the elderly, and underserved communities.
Key characteristics of Prince Hall Shriners
- They parallel the goals of the mainstream Shriners: fraternity, fellowship, and charity (with a focus on helping children, scholarships, and community health).
- The fez worn by Prince Hall Shriners often features distinct lodge names or specific regional insignia but uses similar symbols (crescent, star, scimitar).
- Prince Hall Shriner temples are active across the U.S., especially in African American communities.
Why are Prince Hall Shriners significant?
- They represent resilience and self-determination in the face of racial exclusion.
- They provide essential social and charitable support within Black communities.
- They preserve both Masonic and African American cultural heritage.
What is Islam?
- Islam is a monotheistic Abrahamic religion founded in the 7th century CE by the Prophet Muhammad in present-day Saudi Arabia.
- The core belief is in one God (Allah in Arabic).
- Followers follow the Qur'an (holy book) and the teachings of Muhammad.
- The Five Pillars of Islam (faith, prayer, fasting, charity, pilgrimage) guide Muslims' religious practices.
Who are Muslims?
- Muslims are the people who follow Islam.
- There are about 1.9 billion Muslims worldwide, making Islam the second-largest religion after Christianity.
- Muslims come from many different ethnicities and cultures around the world.
What are Islamic Countries?
- An Islamic country is generally defined as a country where Islam is the official state religion or where Islamic law influences government laws and policies.
- Examples include Saudi Arabia, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and others.
- These countries often have governments influenced by Islamic principles, but the degree of religious governance varies.
Are Islamic Countries and Muslim Countries the Same?
- Not exactly.
- A Muslim-majority country is one where most of the population identifies as Muslim.
- Examples: Indonesia (largest Muslim population in the world), Egypt, Turkey.
- A Muslim-majority country is not necessarily governed by Islamic law or officially Islamic.
- Some Muslim-majority countries are secular or have mixed systems (e.g., Turkey, Tunisia).
Sword in Islam
- The scimitar (curved sword) is often associated with Islamic warriors historically — especially during the time of the Islamic caliphates (Umayyad, Abbasid, Ottoman).
- The sword was a symbol of power, defense, and justice in many cultures, including Islamic ones.
- In Islam as a religion: The sword itself is not a religious symbol. While swords are mentioned in the Qur'an in the context of battle or defense, Islam does not prescribe or promote any particular weapon as a symbol of faith.
- The idea of Islam being symbolized by a sword mostly comes from Western depictions or certain dynasties (e.g., Ottomans) that emphasized military strength.
Crescent and Star in Islam
The crescent moon and star are widely associated with Muslim countries today because they appear on flags like Turkey, Pakistan, and others.
The crescent and star were not originally Islamic symbols. They were used in the ancient Byzantine Empire and other pre-Islamic civilizations.
The Ottoman Empire adopted the crescent and star, and through their long rule over much of the Muslim world, this symbol became linked to Islamic nations culturally.
In Islam as a religion: There is no official religious symbol of Islam in the Qur'an or authentic Hadith. The crescent and star are not mentioned as holy symbols.
Shriner use of these symbols
- The Shriners' sword, crescent, and star were borrowed to give their order a "mystic Eastern" or "Arabian" theme, reflecting 19th-century fascination with the Orient.
- They do not have true Islamic religious meaning in Shriner usage.
- The Shriners combined these elements into a fraternal emblem, often topped with a sphinx head — another non-Islamic, exotic symbol.
The Crescent and Star: From Pagan Symbols to Ottoman Emblem
Overview The crescent and star symbols predate Islam by many centuries. They originated in ancient civilizations such as those in Mesopotamia, Central Asia, and Anatolia. In these cultures, the crescent moon often represented lunar deities, while the star had various symbolic meanings. These symbols were widely used in classical antiquity and later appeared in the iconography of the Byzantine Empire. Eventually, they were adopted by the Ottoman Empire and became associated with Muslim-majority nations. However, their origins are pagan and imperial, not Islamic in nature.
- Ancient Mesopotamia and Anatolia
- The crescent moon was associated with lunar deities such as Sin (also known as Nanna), especially in the cities of Ur and Harran.
- The star symbol often represented the goddess Ishtar (Inanna), associated with fertility, love, and war. Ishtar was commonly shown with an eight-pointed star.
- These symbols were part of a sacred astral triad:
- Moon: Sin/Nanna
- Star: Ishtar/Inanna
- Sun: Shamash/Utu
Babylonia and earlier Sumerian cultures are among the earliest confirmed users of the crescent and star symbols together, using them as representations of divine or celestial power.
- Classical Greece and Rome
- In Greek and Roman religion, the crescent was associated with Artemis and Diana, respectively, both goddesses of the moon.
- Roman and Hellenistic coinage and civic banners sometimes featured the crescent and star, not as religious icons, but as symbols of divine favor, protection, and heavenly order.
- The use of these symbols continued into the Byzantine period.
- Byzantium (Eastern Roman Empire)
- The city of Byzantium, which later became Constantinople and is now Istanbul, used the crescent moon on its civic emblems long before the rise of Islam.
- A local legend claims that a crescent moon saved the city from a surprise attack, leading to its adoption as a symbol of divine protection.
- The use of the crescent in this context had no connection to Islam.
- Scythians, Central Asia, and Thrace
- The crescent and star also appeared among steppe cultures, such as the Scythians, and nomadic societies in Central Asia.
- These symbols may have been used in totemic or shamanistic traditions, serving roles in spiritual and warrior iconography.
- Ottoman Empire and Later Islamic Association
- The Ottoman Empire, founded in 1299 CE, adopted the crescent and star as imperial symbols.
- These emblems were used on flags and military insignia, and over time, became associated with the broader Islamic world.
- Importantly, the Qur'an and early Islamic texts do not mention the crescent or star as religious symbols. Their adoption was political and imperial, not theological.
Conclusion
The earliest known use of the crescent moon and star together traces back to ancient Mesopotamia, where they symbolized powerful astral deities like Sin and Ishtar. Over time, the symbols spread across various civilizations—including Greek, Roman, and Byzantine cultures—before being adopted by the Ottoman Empire. Their modern association with Islam is a result of Ottoman political symbolism, not Islamic doctrine or origin.
Sin / Nanna: Ancient Moon God of Mesopotamia
Names & Locations:
- Sumerian name: Nanna
- Akkadian/Babylonian name: Sin
- Worship centered in Ur (southern Mesopotamia) and Harran (northern Mesopotamia, near modern-day Turkey/Syria border).
Symbolism:
- Represented by the crescent moon.
- Father of Shamash (sun god) and Ishtar (goddess of love, war, fertility).
- Associated with:
- Wisdom and measurement of time (calendars were lunar).
- Protection during the night.
- Royal power and divine legitimacy.
Temples:
- Ziggurat of Ur was one of the most important temples dedicated to Nanna.
- In Harran, Sin was still being worshiped even in late antiquity (some say into early Islamic times).
Decline of Worship:
- Gradually faded as Babylonian and Assyrian empires declined.
Many symbols (like the crescent) were absorbed by later civilizations — including Greek and Roman religion.
Post-Sabbatai Zevi Era: Redrawing of the Middle East and Rise of National Symbols
Context: 1666–1800s
After Sabbatai Zevi's conversion to Islam in 1666, the Ottoman Empire (which ruled much of the Middle East) entered a phase of increasing internal unrest and external pressure. Over the next 150–200 years, several key events laid the groundwork for modern national identities:
- Decline of Ottoman Central Power
- The Ottomans lost influence over Arab provinces, Balkans, and North Africa.
- Provinces like Egypt, Iraq, Arabia began asserting autonomy.
- European Interference and Mapping
- French and British explorers, Jesuit scholars, and cartographers started redrawing maps and classifying peoples.
- The Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca (1774) granted Russia protection over Ottoman Christians and allowed them to interfere in the empire's internal affairs.
- Western imperial powers introduced national flags, symbols, and even redesigned alphabets in the 19th century.
- Flags with Crescent and Star
- The Ottoman Empire used a red flag with a white crescent as early as the late 1700s.
- The five-pointed star was added officially in 1844 during the Tanzimat Reforms, aiming to modernize the empire.
New flags emerged later across Muslim-majority regions:
- Tunisia (1831) – red flag with crescent and star
- Libya, Algeria, Pakistan, Malaysia – all adopted variants in the 20th century
- Many of these flags used the crescent and star as a symbolic link to Ottoman identity or Islamic heritage, though neither is a religious requirement.
Why It Matters
The crescent moon of Sin/Nanna was a symbol of cosmic order, divine kingship, and night-time protection, deeply embedded in ancient Semitic and Mesopotamian consciousness.
By the 1700s–1800s, as the Ottoman Empire weakened and European colonialists redrew maps, new national identities were forged — and the crescent and star were revived as symbols of Islamic power and continuity.
However, their true origin is pagan and imperial, not Islamic or Qur'anic.711 AD Moors (Muslim Berbers and Arabs) invade the Iberian Peninsula
8th–15th centuries Moors rule parts of Iberia, including the Caliphate of Córdoba
1273 Beginning of the Habsburg Dynasty with Rudolf I elected King of Germany
1299 Ottoman Empire founded by Osman I
Late 1400s Christian Reconquista of Moorish Iberia
Late 1400s–early 1500s Roma (Gypsies) migrate into Spain and Europe
It wasn't until the Ottoman Empire that the crescent moon and star became affiliated with the Muslim world. When the Turks conquered Constantinople (Istanbul) in 1453, they adopted the city's existing flag and symbol. Legend holds that the founder of the Ottoman Empire, Osman, had a dream in which the crescent moon stretched from one end of the earth to the other.
Taking this as a good omen, he chose to keep the crescent and make it the symbol of his dynasty. There is speculation that the five points on the star represent the five pillars of Islam, but this is pure conjecture.
1492
- Fall of Granada ends Moorish rule in Spain
- Alhambra Decree expels Jews from Spain
- Columbus departs Spain and lands in the New World
1516 Charles I becomes King of Spain, starting Habsburg rule
1519 Charles I elected Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, uniting Habsburg dominions
1534 Founding of the Jesuits (Ignatius of Loyola and companions)
1540 Jesuits officially approved by Pope Paul III
1583 Brownists leave England for Amsterdam
1613 Beginning of Romanov Dynasty in Russia with Tsar Michael I
1620 (November) Mayflower lands at Plymouth Rock
1665–1676 Sabbatai Zevi messianic movement and conversion to Islam
Sabbatai Zevi (1626–1676)
- Sabbatai Zevi was a Jewish rabbi and mystic from the Ottoman Empire (modern-day Turkey) who claimed to be the long-awaited Jewish Messiah in the 17th century.
- His movement began around 1665 and spread rapidly through Jewish communities across Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East.
- Thousands of Jews believed he would lead them back to the Holy Land, rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem, and usher in a golden age.
- In 1666, Sabbatai Zevi was arrested by Ottoman authorities, who saw him as a potential political threat because his messianic claims were causing unrest.
- Faced with execution, Sabbatai shocked his followers by converting to Islam, adopting the name Mehmed Aziz.
- Many of his followers were devastated, but some justified or spiritualized his conversion as part of a hidden divine plan.
- A small sect, the Dönmeh, secretly continued to follow him while outwardly living as Muslims
Why this matters.
- The event shattered Jewish hopes at the time and had long-lasting effects on Jewish thought, including skepticism about future messianic claimants.
- His conversion influenced relations between Jews and the Ottoman state.
- The Dönmeh group persisted in the Ottoman Empire for generations, blending Jewish mysticism and outward Islamic practice.
Sabbatai Zevi and the Role of Sin
- Sabbatai Zevi, influenced by Lurianic Kabbalah (a branch of Jewish mysticism), and his followers, especially his "prophet" Nathan of Gaza, developed radical ideas about redemption and sin.
- They taught that:
- The Messiah's role was to descend into the depths of impurity and sin to redeem the sparks of holiness trapped there since creation (a mystical concept in Kabbalah).
- Sometimes, to complete this process, the Messiah must break conventional religious law or engage in forbidden acts (a notion called holy sin or redemption through sin).
- In their view, Sabbatai Zevi's bizarre behavior — including his eventual conversion to Islam — was part of a secret divine plan to bring ultimate redemption.
What this looked like
- Sabbatai and some of his followers engaged in rituals that reversed norms:
- Declaring fast days as feast days.
- Reciting blessings over forbidden foods.
- Performing acts traditionally seen as sinful — believing they were hastening redemption.
Why this was so shocking
- These ideas directly challenged traditional Jewish law (Halakha).
- Many rabbis and communities rejected his teachings as heretical.
- His fall into apostasy (conversion to Islam) was seen as a tragic and embarrassing event in Jewish history.
1666 Great Fire of London, symbolic "666" associations
1773 Jesuits suppressed by Pope Clement XIV; first U.S. mental hospital opens
1775–1783 American War of Independence
Circa 1810 Debated claims of U.S. as a corporate entity
1812–1815 War of 1812; Burning of Washington
1814 Jesuits restored
1812–1861 Antebellum Era in U.S.: growth, slavery debates, industrialization, westward expansion
In 1829, Sultan Mahmud II of the Ottoman Empire made a big change. He ordered all civil officials to wear the plain fez and banned turbans. This was a key moment in the history of the Shriners hat, also known as the fez hat.1830–1838 Trail of Tears: Forced removal of Native Americans
1839–1842 & 1856–1860 First and Second Opium Wars
1854–1929 Orphan Trains in the U.S.
1861–1865 U.S. Civil War
1864 Circassians expelled from Russia after Caucasus conquest
1865 13th Amendment abolishes slavery in the U.S.
1866 The first oceanic cables ever installed were telegraphic lines laid across the Atlantic Ocean in.
1867 Alfred Nobel invents dynamite
1870–1918 Habsburg (Austro-Hungarian) Empire's rise and collapse
1870s–1900 Gilded Age in the U.S.
1872 Shriners International started using the fez in It was inspired by an Arabian-themed party. Today, nearly 500,000 Shriners wear it, showing their tradition and values.
Shriners International started using the fez in 1872. It was inspired by an Arabian-themed party. Today, nearly 500,000 Shriners wear it, showing their tradition and values.
1881–1914 Partition of Africa by European powers
1882 First U.S. commercial electricity power station (Pearl Street, NYC)
1893 Thermite reaction discovered by Hans Goldschmidt
September 8, 1900 Galveston Hurricane destroys Texa