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The Black Standard, also known as The Black Banner, is the symbol of jihadism. Source: Supplied
THE black and white flag paraded in the window of the cafe at the centre of the Martin Place siege is an Islamic flag hijacked by Muslim extremists.
Known as The Black Standard, or The Black Banner, it is one of the flags flown by the prophet Muhammad but has been used by Muslim extremist organisations since the early 1990s.
A black on white version of the flag came to prominance in 1997 when it was used by the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Hizb-ut-Tarir, Al-Qaeda, al-Shabaab, Khorasan, the Syria-based Jabhat al-Nusra use the flag, which is representative of the Khalifa.
IS uses a variation of the flag.
It has also been used by protesters around the world in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza and as a cross-border symbol of unity for Sunnis.
A propaganda image from fundamentalist site Islam.org describing the mythology of The Black Standard to jihadists. Khorasan is not only a place but a jihadist group made up of al-Qaeda members Source: Supplied
Jonathan Bloom, a professor of Islamic Art at Boston College in the US says: “The black banner of Islam as an idea goes back to the 8th century, when the Second Dynasty of Islam came to power with black bannersâ€.
“The white writing at the top of the flag is the first half of an Islamic phrase called the shahada, or declaration of faith, which reads: ‘There is no god but God, Muhammad is the messenger of God’.â€
A woman carries a variation of the The Black Standard during protests in New York last year. Source: Supplied
The display of The Black Standard is often accompanied by the raised index finger of the jihadist, which warns of jihad “coming to youâ€.
Parading the The Black Standard became an offence in the UK in August this year and it is also banned in Holland and Germany for use in anything other than educational purposes.
The flag was carried by supporters of the Islamic State during protests in New York last year with those taking part warning “The black flag is coming.â€
Security expert Tony Loughran describes terrorist group Jabhat al-Nusra.
PM Tony Abbott says motivations are unknown, but there are indications that the Sydney siege could be politically motivated.
More to come ...