Many non-muslims and muslims are not aware that Islam at least currently does not have a representative flag. As was discussed before the "crescent" that you see on various depictions is not a representation of Islam and unfortunately, many trolls have used their limited knowledge to spam unfound assertions by correlating the crescent with some moon god deity. Let me remind those who have just joined the forum that there is no physical representation of Islam or our Creator (Allah). Allah has no physical likeness nor is Allah compared to anything he has established.

The Crescents found on various flags such as: Turkey, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Baluchistan, Bosnia, Dir, Egypt, Turkestan, Islamabad, Kalat, Malaysia and others do not represent Islam, but simply representing the countries that bear them. As far as the crescent moon and the star goes, they represent concentration, candidness and triumph, as well as sovereignty and divinity.

The Crescent actually appeared before the Ottomans, however there is Greek influence in the symbolism of the flags:

"The crescent moon and star symbol actually pre-dates Islam by several thousand years. Information on the origins of the symbol are difficult to ascertain, but most sources agree that these ancient celestial symbols were in use by the peoples of Central Asia and Siberia in their worship of sun, moon, and sky gods.

There are also reports that the crescent moon and star were used to represent the Carthaginian goddess Tanit or the Greek goddess Diana.

The city of Byzantium (later known as Constantinople and Istanbul) adopted the crescent moon as its symbol. According to some reports, they chose it in honor of the goddess Diana. Others indicate that it dates back to a battle in which the Romans defeated the Goths on the first day of a lunar month. In any event, the crescent moon was featured on the city's flag even before the birth of Christ.

The early Muslim community did not really have a symbol. During the time of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), Islamic armies and caravans flew simple solid-colored flags (generally black, green, or white) for identification purposes. In later generations, the Muslim leaders continued to use a simple black, white, or green flag with no markings, writing, or symbolism on it.

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." (See Ref:http://islam.about.com/od/history/a/crescent_moon.htm)

Brother Rami, by the way here is the flag you were referring to without the sword, which, I may add I totally agree with you:

http://www.fotw.net/images/i/isl-2f.gi -

Here are flags of other Muslim countries just to give people an idea, please let me know if the picture does not show for you so I can put links down:

Turkmenistan
http://geography.about.com/science/geography/library/cia/blcturkmenistan.htm">

Uzbekistan
http://geography.about.com/science/geography/library/cia/blcuzbekistan.htm">

Tunisia
http://geography.about.com/science/geography/library/cia/blctunisia.htm">

Turkey
http://geography.about.com/science/geography/library/cia/blcturkey.htm">

Mauritania
http://geography.about.com/science/geography/library/cia/blcmauritania.htm">

Pakistan
http://geography.about.com/science/geography/library/cia/blcpakistan.htm">

Malaysia
http://geography.about.com/science/geography/library/cia/blcmalaysia.htm">

Maldives
http://geography.about.com/science/geography/library/cia/blcmaldives.htm">

Comoros
http://geography.about.com/science/geography/library/cia/blccomoros.htm">

Algeria
http://geography.about.com/science/geography/library/cia/blcalgeria.htm">

Azerbaijan
http://geography.about.com/science/geography/library/cia/blcazerbaijan.htm">

http://geography.about.com/science/geography/library/cia/blcuzbekistan.htm - May I remind the Muslims (and non-muslims) that the above flags are representations of those countries but are not representatives of Islam or Muslims. The following flags could be representatives of Islam ( as per in compliance with Islamic mandate):

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/Flag_of_Libya.svg">

The above flag is the flag of Libya. In early times the flags of Islam were of solid colors and this could be consistent with that tradition and therefore, would be considered as a representative of Islam. The following is another consideration of an Islamic flag:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f6/Flag_of_Iraq.svg">

The above flag is the flag of Iraq with the Arabic inscription "Allahu Akbar" or, "God is Great!" the only problem with this flag are the colors since they signify some relationship with a nation (and not Islam specifically) it couldn't be a representative. The red in most countries signify nationalism and nationalism being specific only to Arab countries that bear this color has no relevance to Islam.

I would say this is our flag:

I like the Iranian flag. The words �La-Ilaha Ila-Allah� could be read in the central symbol, and the Allah-Akbar inscription is much nicer than the Iraqi flag.