A hearty salute to the glorious UAE flag

As citizens and residents salute the glorious flag of the UAE with gratitude to mark the Flag Day celebrations on Sunday, it will also turn out to be an occasion to reflect on the great achievements made by the country in all sectors thanks to the vision of the founding fathers.

The UAE flag is a mighty symbol of unity, national affiliation, prestige and patriotism. The Flag Day represents the adorable Emirati spirit and the glory achieved by the nation.

The Flag Day is a national campaign launched by UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, in November 2013 to commemorate the swearing in of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan as President of the nation.

Sheikh Mohammed has invited the UAE residents to take part in UAE Flag Day celebrations on Sunday.

As Sheikh Mohammed tweeted: “On Nov.3, we will celebrate the UAE’s Flag, which is a symbol of our unity and sovereignty. On this glorious national occasion, all our institutions, ministries, bodies and schools are invited to raise the flag on the UAE Flag Day at 11:00am.

We will raise our flag together in an expression of common destiny and our belonging to the UAE.”

The flag, adopted by Late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan on December 2, 1971, is regarded as one of the national symbols of the independent state and of its sovereignty. It is an address and banner, which represents it in all places and times.

Raising the flag in every home, institution and street reaffirms the solidarity with the armed forces and cohesion with the leadership.

It also highlights the pride and honour of the sacrifices made by our martyrs, the heroes of the Armed Forces, for the sake of upholding the banner of the right.

The story behind the design of the flag is also interesting. The flag’s designer, Abdullah Mohammed Al Maeena, was chosen during a national competition, which was announced by the Emiri Diwan of Abu Dhabi and published in a local daily some two months before the announcement of the Federation.

Some 1,030 designs were entered in the competition, with six being shortlisted before the final flag was chosen.

Al Maeena decided to participate in the competition to design the country’s flag, which enabled him to make his mark and be remembered in the country’s history.

Despite his modest drawing skills, he worked on several designs and subsequently produced six, which he sent to the advertised address.

After a few days, a member of the competition’s arbitration committee told Al Maeena that one of his designs was chosen for the final round by the committee.

When the result was not announced, he woke up early to see the raising of the Federation’s flag for the first time, and when he saw the flag, he could not believe himself, and stood for over an hour looking at the flag and admiring its colours. He did not sleep until the next day when Al Ittihad published the picture.

As Sheikh Mohammed aptly pointed out earlier, “The flag will constantly inspire the UAE people to continue on the journey of development and progress initiated by the founding fathers led by the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan.

The UAE flag is a precious national asset that we need to preserve through hard work and diligent efforts, so that the UAE can attain global leadership.”