Ok, trying to translate some background info from german to english, please bear with me if it is a bit awkward
During the war between Austria, Sardinia and France in 1859 Switzerland stayed neutral.
At Solferinoe 160,000 Austrians met 150,000 French and Sardinians. Countless wounded were left on the battlefield that no one cared for. This sight bothered the genevan trader Henri Dunant (1928-1910), he described his impressions 1862 in a book that received much attention.
Together with the swiss General Dufour and three other personalities Henri Dunant founded a comittee from which the "Internationale Komitee vom Roten Kreuz" (International Committee of the Red Cross) emerged.
The Comittee persuaded the swiss government to call an international conference. 1864 12 parttaking states signed the convention (compact) for the mitigation of "inseperable evil (or is scourge a better word for it?) of war". When the first Nobel Peace Prize was awarded in 1901 it was awarded to Henri Dunant.
The Geneva Convention, which was joined by all european states by 1868 and by a big mayority of all states worldwide today, includes among other things:
* Ambulances, Hospitals, Nursing Staff, denizens that come to the aid of wounded are considered neutral and may not be attacked, they may not carry heavy weapons on the other hand.
* Wounded and/or sick soldiers shall be taken in and cared for notwithstanding (despite of?) their nationality
* As a sign for Hospitals, Ambulances and Staff serves a white flag or armlet with a red cross (in islamic states: Red Crescent, in Isreal Red Star).
Where does the "Red Cross" originate from?
Although the "alten Eidgenossen" (old Swiss Confederation *warning: very rough translation by me
* ) didn't go to battle with a uniform Banner, but with the banners of their cantons the "Schweizerkreuz" (Swiss Cross) goes back to the late middle ages.
In the 13th Century the german Emporer (Kaiser) went to war with a banner with a cross as holy symbol.
He also carried a bloodred banner aside it as a sign of his power over life and death.
The right to fly such banners was granted to single cities or valleys as a special award.
So, for example the Earl of Savoyen, the city of Vienna and the scandinavian states and Great Britain carried a cross in their Coat of Arms and flags.
Often the right to carry a cross in the flag was connected to other privileges, for example "Reichsunmittelbarkeit" (directly mandated under the Emporer's jurisdiction, without Counts/Earls).
So the "Schwyzer" (the Swiss), who's name was expanded to the whole of the Swiss Confederation flew a red flag from the middle of the 13th Century (without the white cross at that time).
In 1289 they supported King Rudolf von Habsburg in a campaign against Burgung and where awarded the right to depict the crucification of Christ and the torture instrument in their red flag.
Originally the symbol, called "heilig Rych" (holy empire) as well on parchment and attached it to the banner. Only later the symbol of the cross was painted onto the cloth directly.
Ok, enough history for now.....
What does the above show us?
The Red Cross got it's symbol from inversing the swiss flag. The swiss flag carried the cross as a holy symbol, being awared the right to do so back in the late middle ages.
This means, it originates from the christian symbol of the cross (crucification of Christ) and so of course the muslim states and Israel do not accept the symbol although they do accept the genevan convention.
Since the origin of the Red Cross symbol is of religious christian nature they designed their own symbols, derivated from their own holy symbols.
ETA: The original Red Cross flag was the inverted swiss flag by an initiative from Henri Dunant. It was not a christian symbol at that time anymore but the national red cross organisations of non-christian countries still saw it as a reference to christianity and replaced them with their own holy symbols, while keeping the colour scheme of a red symbol on white background.
I can understand their reference to the symbol as being a christian symbol, when one looks at the history of the swiss flag
Whew, hope I didn't bore you too much with this post
See ya,
vonSteuben
Last edited by vonSteuben (2006-01-28 11:59:21)
