National Anthem Comparison
Iraq vs Palestine
2
Shared themes
✗
Different moods
31
31 years apart
✓
Same continent
Comparison Analysis
Iraq and Palestine, both Asia nations, take distinct approaches to their national anthems. Iraq's "My Homeland" was written in 1934, while Palestine's "Fida'i" dates to 1965.
Both anthems share themes of freedom and resilience. Iraq additionally explores love of homeland, hope and independence, while Palestine also touches on battle / war and ancestors / heritage.
The emotional tones differ: Iraq's anthem is defiant, while Palestine's is fierce.
Iraq's anthem predates Palestine's by 31 years, having been written in 1934 compared to 1965.
Iraq changed its national anthem in 2004, reflecting a shift in the nation's identity or political landscape.
Shared themes
Iraq
❤ Love of homeland 🌅 Hope 🗽 Independence 🕊 Freedom 💪 Resilience
Palestine
⚔ Battle / War 💪 Resilience 🕊 Freedom 🏺 Ancestors / Heritage
Shared themes:
🕊 Freedom 💪 Resilience
Metadata
| Iraq | Palestine | |
|---|---|---|
| Written | 1934 | 1965 |
| Adopted | 2004 | 1972 |
| Lyricist | Ibrahim Touqan | Said Al Muzayin |
| Composer | Mohammed Flayfel | Ali Ismael |
| Language | ar | ar |
| Region | Western Asia | Western Asia |
Lyrics Side by Side
Iraq
موطني
Original
مَوْطِنِي مَوْطِنِي
الجَلَالُ وَالجَمَالُ وَالسَّنَاءُ وَالبَهَاءُ
فِي رُبَاكْ، فِي رُبَاكْ
وَالحَيَاةُ وَالنَّجَاةُ وَالهَنَاءُ وَالرَّجَاءُ
فِي هَوَاكْ، فِي هَوَاكْ
هَلْ أَرَاكْ، هَلْ أَرَاكْ
سَالِمًا مُنَعَّمًا وَغَانِمًا مُكَرَّمًا
هَلْ أَرَاكْ فِي عُلَاكْ
تَبْلُغُ السِّمَاكْ، تَبْلُغُ السِّمَاكْ
مَوْطِنِي مَوْطِنِي
مَوْطِنِي مَوْطِنِي
الشَّبَابُ لَنْ يَكِلَّ هَمُّهُ أَنْ يَسْتَقِلَّ
أَوْ يَبِيدْ، أَوْ يَبِيدْ
نَسْتَقِي مِنَ الرَّدَى وَلَنْ نَكُونَ لِلْعِدَى
كَالعَبِيدْ، كَالعَبِيدْ
لَا نُرِيدْ، لَا نُرِيدْ
ذُلَّنَا المُؤَبَّدَا وَعَيْشَنَا المُنَكَّدَا
لَا نُرِيدْ بَلْ نُعِيدْ
مَجْدَنَا التَّلِيدْ، مَجْدَنَا التَّلِيدْ
مَوْطِنِي مَوْطِنِي
مَوْطِنِي مَوْطِنِي
الحُسَامُ وَاليَرَاعُ لَا الكَلَامُ وَالنِّزَاعُ
رَمْزُنَا، رَمْزُنَا
مَجْدُنَا وَعَهْدُنَا وَوَاجِبٌ مِنَ الوَفَاء
يَهُزُّنَا، يَهُزُّنَا
عِزُّنَا، عِزُّنَا
غَايَةٌ تُشَرِّفُ وَرَايَةٌ تُرَفْرِفُ
يَا هَنَاكْ فِي عُلَاكْ
قَاهِرًا عِدَاكْ، قَاهِرًا عِدَاكْ
مَوْطِنِي مَوْطِنِي
Translation
My homeland, my homeland,
Glory and beauty, sublimity and splendour
Are in thy hills, are in thy hills.
Life and deliverance, pleasure and hope
Are in loving thee, are in loving thee.
Will I see thee, will I see thee?
Safely comforted and victoriously honoured.
Will I see thee in thine eminence?
Reaching to the stars, reaching to the stars.
My homeland, my homeland.
My homeland, my homeland,
The youth shall not tire, their goal is thine independence
Or they die, or they die.
We shall drink from death, and shall not be to our enemies
Like slaves, like slaves.
We want not, we want not
An eternal humiliation, nor a miserable life.
We want not, but we shall bring back
Our storied glory, our storied glory.
My homeland, my homeland.
My homeland, my homeland,
The sword and the pen, not the talk nor the quarrel
Are our symbols, are our symbols.
Our glory and our covenant, and a faithful duty
Moveth us, moveth us.
Our glory, our glory,
Is an honourable cause, and a waving flag.
O, how blessed thou art in thine eminence,
Victorious over thy foes, victorious over thy foes.
My homeland, my homeland.
Palestine
فدائي
Original
فدائي فدائي فدائي
يا أرضي يا أرض الجدود
فدائي فدائي فدائي
يا شعبي يا شعب الخلود
بعزمي وناري وبركان ثاري
وأشواق دمي لأرضي وداري
صعدت الجبال وخضت النضال
قهرت المحال حطمت القيود
فدائي فدائي فدائي
يا أرضي يا أرض الجدود
فدائي فدائي فدائي
يا شعبي يا شعب الخلود
بعصف الرياح ونار السلاح
وإصرار شعبي لخوض الكفاح
فلسطين داري ودرب انتصاري
فلسطين ثاري وأرض الصمود
فدائي فدائي فدائي
يا أرضي يا أرض الجدود
فدائي فدائي فدائي
يا شعبي يا شعب الخلود
بحق القسم تحت ظل العلم
بأرضي وشعبي ونار الألم
سأحيا فدائي وأمضي فدائي
وأقضي فدائي إلى أن أعود
فدائي فدائي فدائي
يا أرضي يا أرض الجدود
فدائي فدائي فدائي
يا شعبي يا شعب الخلود
Translation
Warrior, warrior, warrior,
O my land, the land of the ancestors,
Warrior, warrior, warrior,
O my people, people of eternity.
With my determination, my fire and the volcano of my revenge,
With the longing in my blood for my land and my home,
I have climbed the mountains and waged the struggle,
I have conquered the impossible and broken the chains.
Warrior, warrior, warrior,
O my land, the land of the ancestors,
Warrior, warrior, warrior,
O my people, people of eternity.
By the storm of the winds and the fire of the weapons,
And the determination of my people to wage the fight,
Palestine is my home, and the road to my victory,
Palestine is my revenge and the land of steadfastness.
Warrior, warrior, warrior,
O my land, the land of the ancestors,
Warrior, warrior, warrior,
O my people, people of eternity.
By the oath under the shade of the flag,
By my land and my people, and the fire of pain,
I will live as a warrior, I will go on as a warrior,
I will die as a warrior, until I return.
Warrior, warrior, warrior,
O my land, the land of the ancestors,
Warrior, warrior, warrior,
O my people, people of eternity.
Interesting facts
Iraq
- 1. The lyrics were written by a Palestinian poet and the music by a Lebanese composer, so neither author was Iraqi when Iraq adopted the song in 2004.
- 2. Composer Mohammed Flayfel, with his brother Ahmad, also wrote the music for Humat ad-Diyar, the anthem Syria adopted in 1938.
- 3. Mawtini long served as an unofficial anthem of the Palestinians until the PLO adopted Fida'i, and many Palestinians still regard it as a second, unofficial anthem.
- 4. Mawtini is the fifth national anthem Iraq has had since the 1920s, after a wordless royal anthem, a wordless republican march by Lewis Zanbaka that was also called Mawtini, the Egyptian song Walla Zaman Ya Selahy and Ardulfurataini Watan.
Palestine
- 1. The word "fida'i" means "one who sacrifices himself"; the Palestinian fedayeen are widely described as freedom fighters.
- 2. Fida'i replaced "Mawtini" as the Palestinian anthem, and "Mawtini" went on to become the official national anthem of Iraq in 2004.
- 3. Palestinian sources say the Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis rearranged Fida'i in 1981 as a gesture of solidarity; Greek sources describe a different work, an anthem Yasser Arafat commissioned from him for the PLO, presented in Beirut in January 1982.
- 4. The poet Said Al Muzayin signed his patriotic work under the pen name "Fata Al-Thawra", meaning "the boy of the revolution".
- 5. Sources differ on the adoption year: English-language references give 1996, tied to the 1988 Declaration of Independence, while Palestinian sources describe a 1972 adoption by the PLO Executive Committee ratified in 2005.
Listen
Iraq
Palestine
