You've probably seen the symbol of the crescent moon, which is traditionally associated exclusively with Islam. Moreover, not everyone uses it there - for example, the Shiites do not use it. Modern researchers believe that the Sunnis borrowed this symbol from the Christians, who, in turn, took it from pagan beliefs.
Unfortunately, there is no evidence of the use of the crescent moon in the early centuries of Islam. The crescent moon is an occult pagan symbol that is found in almost all religions of polytheism, including the idolatry of the Quraish.
This symbol was also found on the coins of the Turkic Kaganate, but earlier there was paganism. After that, the crescent moon was a symbol of the Sassanid Persian empire, then - the emblem of the city of Constantinople.
And there, as you know, there was Christianity. Some researchers believe that the Sunnis began to use the crescent moon symbol immediately after Constantinople was conquered by the Sunni Turks.
Even in Hinduism there is this symbol - for example, it is very often worn by Shiva in his hair. If we turn to the mythology of Ancient Egypt, then there you can see a solar disk with a horned moon, which meant the divine unity of two in one, the common beginning of the solar-lunar gods.
The crescent is also found among the ancient inhabitants of Mesopotamia - the Sumerians. They associated this symbol with the Babylonian god of the moon Sin. There is an image of a crescent both in Ancient Greece and in the Roman Empire - very often it was depicted in the hair of local goddesses, as a symbol of purity and birth.
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But how did the crescent moon become the symbol of Constantinople? It is believed that when it was a Greek polis, Constantinople had the goddess of moonlight Hecate in patronage, hence the image of the crescent moon on the coat of arms of this city.
You can still find a huge number of old Orthodox churches, where very often a crescent moon is found along with the cross. Some researchers believe that the crescent moon also came to Russian Orthodoxy from Constantinople, because our church had a Byzantine origin.
And the conquest of Constantinople by the Sunni Turks happened much later - only in 1453. But where did the crescent moon symbol come from in paganism is not clear. There are many versions and theories on this score.
Some researchers believe that the symbol of the crescent moon in Islam has nothing to do with this religion at all - after all, the symbol had previously been from Christians, who even earlier borrowed it from paganism.
In general, the issue of borrowing various kinds of things in religions is very interesting. And it deserves a separate consideration. What do you think about this? Write your opinion in the comments.