The symbol of the Red Cross has been controversial for years.
The Red Crystal is a red square with a white center, turned at a 45-degree angle. It is a symbol that was designed as "a compromise...to break a deadlock over the admission of Israel as a full member of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies," according to "The New York Times." The idea has been to supplement the traditional symbols of these societies with one more neutral.
History
The cross symbol was designed "at the inception of the Red Cross movement by its founder, Henri Dunant, in 1863," reports "BusinessWeek." The symbol was chosen because soldiers often let enemies know they were giving up by waving a white flag, "so Dunant thought a largely white flag would make troops more respectful of the new, peaceful organization," the magazine reports.
Symbols
The Geneva Convention requires a country to choose one symbol from among three, which are a cross, a crescent or "a lion with sun---a Persian symbol that is no longer used," according to "The New York Times." Today, the Red Cross organizations in countries throughout the world can use the cross, crescent or crystal.
Conflict
The debate over the emblems dates all the way to the Turkish-Russian war of 1876, reports "The New York Times." This is when the leaders of the Ottoman Empire opted to use the crescent rather than the cross, the newspaper reports.
Adoption
The Red Crystal symbol was adopted as part of the Geneva Convention on December 8, 2005.
Design
The Red Crystal "tends to suggest the shape of something wholly nonsectarian: any of various common highway and road signs," according to Business Week. The white center matches the flag's ground, and may be left blank or contain a crescent or a cross.
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