&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Why X changed Iran’s flag emoji to the lion and sun as protests intensify")
Social media platform X has changed the emoji of the official Iranian flag from featuring the official tricolour with the red Islamic emblem and the phrase "Allahu Akbar" (God is Greatest) written in stylised Arabic script to the pre-Islamic revolution flag with the same tri colour with sword-wielding lion and Sun emblem at the centre. The change was implemented across X's emoji library, it was visible on the web version first, and is now available in many mobile devices.
What is the Lion and Sun symbol?
The Lion and Sun symbol is from the pre-Islamic period flag of Iran, which has been around since the constitutional monarchy era in 1907 and signifies divine power. It was standardised during the Pahlavi dynasty and continued during the brief period of pluralistic democracy of the Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh between 1951-1953, which was replaced by the US and UK-backed coup to establish Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi as the ruler. It remained till 1979, until the Islamic Revolution.
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Iranian protests and what does the emoji change imply?
Iran is going through massive unrest across the country due to the continuously deteriorating economic situation. The protest, which started as a peaceful one, turned violent. The violence escalated, and there were reports of a raid in Imam Khomeini Hospital in Ilam to arrest injured protestors. Ali Khamenei accused protestors of "ruining their own streets to make the president of another country (Donald Trump) happy."
However, there are undeniable internal political and social conflicts in the Iranian society, which allow foreign agents to exploit it. Not acknowledging these conflicts, attributing them completely to foreign intelligence, will only accelerate the deterioration of the state from the inside. There had been a widespread misinformation campaign on social media against Iran, with AI-generated exaggerated pictures and videos to make the protest look more violent than it already is. Israeli intelligence and a former US Secretary of State have themselves made those claims. Now, this kind of change in social media emojis in a politically charged atmosphere is a symbolic gesture of support for the crowd to further agitate and widen the conflict, converting it into a riot.
