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Friday, September 23, 2005The organisation's decision comes in response to sustained pressure from Israel's national first aid and ambulance organisation, Magen David Adom, which has been campaigning for a change for 50 years and which now looks likely to achieve membership of the movement. The Magen David Adom organisation, whose name means 'red star of David' and which also provides blood services, has been excluded from membership on the grounds that it has not been prepared to use either the cross or crescent symbols. The Israeli government and the organisation itself have claimed that the real reason has been opposition to its membership from Muslim and Arab countries. Now representatives from two thirds of the 123 countries that attended a meeting in Geneva last week have told the Swiss government that they approve the addition of a third emblem alongside the red cross and red crescent. Although the new emblem strongly resembles a diamond shape, it is going to be known as a crystal, because the diamond symbol has adverse connotations, recalling memories of the diamond slave trade in Africa. Why not put the crystal on it's side, so it looks like a square? Then no one will be offended. (Here is a graphic, as well as the history behind the Red Cross symbol.) Better yet, make it the universal symbol for the Red Cross regardless of nationality. That way, it would be harder to target enemy ambulance services in battle. It also might make the International Red Cross more willing to crack down on abuses of ambulance services, such as using them as bomb transports. A single identifying symbol would make the whole organization appear as culpable as any one of its parts. posted by Sydney on 9/23/2005 11:05:00 PM 0 comments 0 Comments: |
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