Minnesota officially adopted its new state flag on Saturday, but some conservatives say it features an Islamic symbol.Conservatives, including MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell and former New York City Council candidate Jacqueline Toboroff, have since linked the eight-pointed star symbol on the flag to Islamic imagery because of its resemblance to stars seen on flags of some Muslim-majority countries.The flag’s designer and other proponents said the eight-pointed star was chosen for its representation of the North Star, aligning with Minnesota’s identity as the North Star State.
The Minnesota State Capitol on October 22, 2023, in St. Paul. Minnesota officially adopted its new state flag on Saturday, but it raised concerns among conservatives that it features an Islamic symbol.
The Minnesota State Capitol on October 22, 2023, in St. Paul. Minnesota officially adopted its new state flag on Saturday, but it raised concerns among conservatives that it features an Islamic symbol.
AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images/Getty Images
The state recently replaced its flag in an effort to address issues of the previous design that brought up the conquest and displacement of Native Americans. The flag design adopted in December includes a dark blue shape resembling Minnesota on the left, with a white, eight-pointed North Star on it. The flag also features, on the right, a light blue field that symbolizes the waters that help define the Land of 10,000 Lakes, according to the design commission.The commission, featuring design experts and members of communities of color, was tasked with finding an appropriate design for the new flag. After four months considering more than 2,100 submissions from the public, the commission picked one by Andrew Prekker, 24, of Luverne, as the base design.Newsweek has reached out to Lindell via email for comment.Speaking on Steve Bannon’s War Room podcast on Wednesday, Toboroff, a writer who ran for New York City Council as a Republican in 2021, continued to refer to the flag as an “Islamic flag,” adding that the state has been “conquered.””They decided to raise this Islamic flag,” said Toboroff, an author, activist and podcast host. “They told Marines and [the] deputy chief of the Minnesota GOP that it was to reflect the new immigrants who are Somali Muslim….Minnesota has been conquered. It is now Islamist, and that’s what’s going on.”However, according to the Associated Press, the flag does not resemble that of Somalia or its Puntland region. While the original design and part of the Puntland flag is light blue, the Somali national flag is a solid light blue with a white, five-pointed star in the center.Lindell, a staunch ally of former President Donald Trump, also spoke on Bannon’s podcast about the flag and called it “catastrophic.””This goes back to when all the Somalis came in,” he said. “This has been a fight here, Steve. What they’ve done with this flag is absolutely catastrophic.”However, Democratic state Senator Mary Kunesh praised the design.Kunesh, a chief author of the bill that launched the redesign and a nonvoting member of the commission, said in a statement that designs and public debate showed that Minnesotans care deeply about the state.It was an incredible experience to see our community’s energy and passion captured in the beautiful designs they submitted,” Kunesh said. “From loons and wild rice to water and the North Star, we have captured the essence of our state in the new flag and seal. These designs honor our history and celebrate the future of Minnesota.”
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