The flag of Malaysia, or known as Jalur Gemilang (”Stripes of Glory”) comprises a field of 14 alternating red and white stripes along the fly and a blue canton bearing a crescent and a 14-point star known as the Bintang Persekutuan or Federal Star.
The 14 stripes, of equal width, represent the equal status in the federation of the 13 member states and the federal government, while the 14 points of the star represent the unity between these entities. [1] The crescent represents Islam, the country’s official religion; the yellow of the star and crescent is the royal colour of the Malay rulers; the blue canton symbolizes the unity of the Malaysian people. This blue canton was originally chosen to represent a connection between the federation and the Commonwealth but this was gradually downplayed and eventually supplanted by its current interpretation.
Though its design is similar to the flag of the United States and of the British East India Company, no substantive connection to either flag has been established.
In blazon, the Malaysian flag is described as: “A banner Gules, seven bars Argent; the canton Azure charged with decrescent and mullet of fourteen points Or.” This means “a red flag with seven horizontal white stripes; the upper-left (hoist) quarter is blue with a yellow waning crescent (i.e. horns pointing to sinister) and a yellow 14-pointed star.”
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