Why Muslims Use the Crescent Symbol

Many people, both from among the Muslimeen and from outside, often ask a simple

question that turns out not to be so simple at all: why did Muslims adopt the crescent as

a symbol? We see it today almost everywhere. We see it on mosques. We see it on many

Islamic buildings. We see it on the flags of several Muslim countries. We see it in Islamic

organizations, such as the Red Crescent and similar institutions. So the question

naturally arises, where did this come from? Most opinions suggest that the first Muslims

to formally use the crescent as a symbol were the Ottomans. According to the

most common view, this adoption happened during the Ottoman period. Some people say