The flag is an idol and nationalism is the religion which teaches people to worship the idols of the flag, the anthem, the nation. Abstractions like 'the nation' and ideas like capitalism, nationalism, communism,secularism, fascism, democracy (and in some cases even islam) can be worshipped. If someone rips your flag, or says something against your nation even if it is true, you get upset, defensive etc. because your idols have been attacked (a flag is a bit of cloth with some colours on it)...you give it meaning, and make it into something it is not. Islam can be an idol when people talk about Islam more than they do about Allah....Islam is perfect, Islam says this, Islam says that...with hardly any mention of Allah Most High. Also the idea of the war memorial is idolatary. After WWI and WWII the secular state started to build these stone memorials honouring the dead who gave their lives for the state. Today they have 1 minute silences for the dead...all of this is the innovations of a new secular religion...with its own idols and respects. The dead get nothing for your love of them, your memorial to them gives nothing to them...you remembering them and honoring them is just the means by which the state shapes your mind into believing dying and killing in pointless state created wars is good self sacrifice. A Muslim does not make themselves into a hired gun who kills and follows the orders of immoral people. They do not put themselves in such a situation where they cannot say no to their officers, if the officers or politicians are sending you to do their killing for them in a unlawful war a Muslim has the right to refuse. The secular democratic state takes away this right from you. And sends you to fight in its godless wars of resource stealing.