Colors

Black
Blue
Green
Red
White

Hands

Raised Hands, Prayer
Bloody Hands
Clasped Hands, Unity
Hand of God

The color black is a very significant color in the Islamic tradition.  It is linked to both the battle flag of Muhammad (al-rawa) and to the medieval Abbasid Caliphate.  In this sense, it most often represents jihad and the caliphate, evoking a historical sense of both concepts.  Black is also used to show religious adherence and strict piety in both the Sunni and Shiite traditions.  For instance, both the Taliban and the Islamic Republic of Iran emphasize the wearing of black turbans specifically, and black clothing in general, for religious students and clergy.  In jihadi imagery the color black is usually employed to emphasize the importance (or occurrence) of jihad and evokes sentiments regarding the perceived need to re-establish the Sunni caliphate.

The color blue has multiple, diverse, and complicated meanings in Islamic tradition.  In jihadi imagery, blue is most often used to evoke a sense of hope and heavenly paradise.  It is usually used in conjunction with the color white to amplify both of these sentiments.  Blue can be employed as a graphic image (i.e. not a photograph) or as a realistic background (e.g. a bright blue sky). 

In the example below, the color blue is used to illustrate beams of sunlight.   The use of blue in this manner evokes a strong sense of hope in the jihad (as represented by the horse with rider and sword), which is further emphasized by the text which reads: “the power of jihad” in Arabic. 

The color green in Islamic tradition is always linked to the Prophet Muhammad, and is therefore synonymous with Islam itself.  It is used ubiquitously throughout the Islamic world, as well as in jihadi imagery, to indicate the Prophet specifically and Islam in general. 

The color white in the Islamic tradition can have many meanings depending on the context and genre; however, in jihadi imagery it is almost always used to symbolize purity, piety, and religious authority. 

In the first image selected, the color white is used to indicate both the spiritual and moral purity of the Muslim mother.  Here the mother is being used as a symbol of honor and duty in relation to the jihad and the ultimate sacrifice of martyrdom. 

In the next image, the color white is used to evoke a sense of piety, purity, and religious authority in reference to Ahmad Yassin, the “martyred” spiritual leader of Hamas.  The West Bank is “colored” with those qualities, and linked spiritually and politically to the authority and teachings of Ahmad Yassin.

There is a lot of symbology surrounding hand gestures in Islamic culture.  Perhaps none are more significant, culturally and religiously, than hands raised with palms toward ones face, in an act of prayer.  Prayer in Islam involves particular gestures and movements, and raising hands toward the face is one of its more recognizable features.  In the image selected, four sets of hands are seen facing the viewer.  This is an overt reference to Islamic prayer, and thus to Islam.  The other motifs in the image—the red roses and the white crescent—combine with the Arabic text to articulate a specifically Islamic response to the Iraqi occupation, and to evoke the expectation of martyrdom.

Bloody Hands

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Bloody or bleeding hands are usually associated with an item or a gesture: e.g. a bloody hand holding a flag or sword and a bloody hand pointing or represented as a raised fist.  The element of blood is highly symbolic in Islamic cultures, and often imbues the motif of bloody hands with added meaning and can evoke historical events.  In the images selected, bloody hands are represented in two different ways: 1) holding the white flag, and 2) erupting from the ground and shackles with finger pointing upward.  Both of these images highlight the inherent violence of the jihadi struggle, and provide a reminder that the struggle comes at a cost.  Both motifs also suggest sacrifice and the duty of martyrdom in the jihadi cause.

Hands can often be used as symbols of Islamic unity within both the greater Muslim community and among specific jihadi activists and groups. 

The first of the sample images was created by al-Qaeda.  The hands grasped in a handshake are a symbol of unity between al-Qaeda and the greater jihadi movement.  In this manner, the image is able to connect the concerns and activities of al-Qaeda with those of other jihadi groups and Muslim entities. 

In the second image, several hands are grasped together in a team-like manner.  Notice that each arm in the image seems to represent a slightly different race or, at the very least, skin color.  This is an attempt to show a greater, pan-Islamic unity between Sunni Muslim peoples of all types.  Images like this, attempt to internationalize, or “pan-Islamicize,” specific, nationally-based jihadi conflicts.  This one, produced by the Salah al-Din Brigade, relates to Iraq and the Iraqi insurgency.

References to divine assistance and intervention speak of the jihadists’ sincere belief that they are agents of God’s will, doing God’s work. While some of these references are oblique, others are explicit and employ motifs such as the hand to illustrate their point.  In the larger of the images below, a hand grasps the wrist of another, seemingly pulling the latter to safety, or at least preventing him from falling. The text of the image states: “The Hand of the Powerful: delivering Iraq from the occupation.”  The text of the second image is the beginning of the shahada, the declaration of faith.  Both of these images suggest the power of a unified Muslim community.