Other countries with mention of diety on currency?

December 2, 2005 8:33 PM

Are there other countries that mention God / Allah / etc on their currency like the US currency's "In God We Trust" ?
posted by birdherder to religion & philosophy (8 comments total)

Does this count? The text translates to something like "Elizabeth II, by the Grace of God, Queen."
posted by Opposite George at 8:51 PM on December 2, 2005

Holland has it on the 2 euro coin. It says "God zij met ons" (God be with us) This used to be on some of the old (pre-euro) guilder coins as well (I think on the 1 and 2.5 guilder coins. Can't remember.)
posted by easternblot at 9:39 PM on December 2, 2005

Some UK £1 coins have the monarch's motto "Dieu et mon droit" on them.
posted by chrismear at 11:43 PM on December 2, 2005

As Opposite George mentioned, most, if not all, British coinage contains an abbreviated form of the latin phrase Dei Gratia Regina Fidei Defensor, one of Queen Elizabeth II's titles. It means "By the Grace of God, Queen, Defender of the Faith."
posted by RichardP at 1:23 AM on December 3, 2005

Opposite George was actually talking about Canadian coins, which lack the Fidei Defensor bit given that we don't have state Anglicanism.
posted by maledictory at 3:22 AM on December 3, 2005

Kuwait's Dinar notes say "OobAllah nasteen" which means "We seek God's assistance"
posted by bryak at 5:07 AM on December 3, 2005

Thank you all.

In the case of the UK and Canada usage it appears to be in the spirit of "God save the queen" but in Latin. The £ coin has another line, this time in French, which is the motto of the monarchy.

The Netherlands' 2 € coin and the Kuwaiti Dinar seem closest to the "In God We Trust" line as they are in the countries local language and are direct appeals to the deity.

The Dinar seems closer to the USD since that phrase looks to appear on all of the notes. Since Islam is the state religion of Kuwait, I might expect a shout out to Allah.
posted by birdherder at 6:41 AM on December 3, 2005

maledictory - Fidei Defensor isn't on our coins, but it's still in the Queen's official title: "Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom, Canada and Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith". Originally given to Henry VIII by the Pope, it's not necessarily connected to state Anglicanism.
posted by magwich at 10:04 AM on December 3, 2005