The Terrorist Image by Winter Charlie;

Author:Winter, Charlie;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Hurst Publishers
Published: 2022-04-06T00:00:00+00:00

9

THE NATION

In addition to the thousands of images showcasing its forays into proto-statehood, the Islamic State produced many thousands more that boasted of the utopian “nation” over which it presided. These pictures were implied to document “regular” people going about their business in the caliphate—working, shopping, worshipping, and relaxing—and, together, they made for a comprehensive visual account of what life was like for the ‘ām al-muslimīn (literally, “normal Muslims”).1

Through photo-propaganda, the Islamic State positioned its territories as a paradise on earth.2 Crucially, in this particular context, its physical presence as an insurgent administration was only ever implied. This is because these pictures were intended to come across as candid glimpses of un-staged reality—something that Islamic State rule was giving rise to, but not directly intervening in. In that sense, their core premise was transactional, revolving around the idea that it was benefiting its people because its people were playing by its rules.3 These images were thus the visual peak of its civilian project. As documentary “evidence” of what was resulting from its take on governance, law and war, they seemed to show that life had not just improved in the caliphate: rather, it had been revolutionised.

When juxtaposed with photographs from the front lines or the ruins caused by airstrikes—as these photos invariably were, because of the nature of how they were disseminated—pictures of the caliphal nation were imbued with a motivational premise.4 The Islamic State’s utopia was shown to be absolute and its people euphoric, but viewers were constantly reminded that it was imperilled by the threat of chaos, surrounded by enemies intent on genocide.5 These images thus had a mobilising, almost heuristic function, one that made sense of the Islamic State project by showing just what it was that its jihād was geared towards and, therefore, why it needed continual, reliable support.

Four subsets of pictures fed into the nationhood ideal. The first consisted of the economy frame, which revolved around agricultural, commercial and industrial activities. It showed the caliphate to be a place of abundance where regular citizens, even the poor, wanted for nothing. The second frame focused on worship. Usually shot at mosques, these images showcased the purported devotion of its citizens. They would often be supplemented by the third frame, which, revolving around scenes of recreation, was geared towards capturing a sense of the serenity that allegedly came with living in the caliphate. A grandiose situational context for all the above was provided in the fourth and final frame, which, through its ethereal depictions of bustling cityscapes and fecund countryside, showed the “lands of the caliphate” at their best.

Considered together, these photographs functioned rather like state-sponsored picture postcards. They presented snapshot highlights of what it was to live in the Islamic State, enabling viewers to imagine what it would be like to be there, seeing and experiencing its alternative glowing reality. In that sense, they had affective utility in the context of both committed fighters—who were shown, through these images, what they were fighting to protect6—and uncommitted supporters—who were shown what they were missing out on.

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