The Singapore Arms and Flag and National Anthem Rules define the flag's composition and the symbolism of its elements: red symbolizes "universal brotherhood and equality of man", and white, "pervading and everlasting purity and virtue". The waxing crescent moon "represents a young nation on the ascendant". The five stars "stand for the nation's ideals of democracy, peace, progress, justice and equality".[14][15] During the second half of the 20th century, the star and crescent symbol came to be recognized as a symbol of Islamism, and Singapore's flag came to be seen in this context by the nation's Muslim activists.[16]