Quatrième de couverture: "Regards croisés sur les fresques d'une église franque, aujourd'hui propriété française en pleine coeur d'un village arabe en Israël. Peintes par des artistes byzantins au XIIe siècle, les scènes que l'on pensait... more
Quatrième de couverture: "Regards croisés sur les fresques d'une église franque, aujourd'hui propriété française en pleine coeur d'un village arabe en Israël. Peintes par des artistes byzantins au XIIe siècle, les scènes que l'on pensait perdues ont été sauvées des ravages du temps à la faveur de la restauration des années 2000. Elles réapparaissent en pleine lumière, pour se faire le témoignage magnifique et rare de l'art du royaume latin de Jérusalem. Le raffinement et les couleurs éclatantes des fresques redonnent vie à cet édifice médiéval."
This article seeks to explore specific modes of visual communication concerning the so called ‘Islamic State of Iraq.’ As an alliance of some Jihadist groups under the lead of al-Qaida in Iraq, this movement managed after the year 2003 to... more
This article seeks to explore specific modes of visual communication concerning the so called ‘Islamic State of Iraq.’ As an alliance of some Jihadist groups under the lead of al-Qaida in Iraq, this movement managed after the year 2003 to temporarily seize control of some parts of the Iraqi soil and perpetrate mass-casualty attacks. Hence, it still poses one of the most serious threats for the young Iraqi republic.
Regardless of the actual validity of this ‘state’, the article argues that Jihadist groups are able to operate in the Middle East, among other things, because they manage to connect their ideas, norms and beliefs to the cultural memory of their recipients. They employ symbols and semantics that gain effect through re-connection to the religious and cultural heritage. These symbols and semantics are, at the same time, used to frame reality in a specific way and portray the Jihadist ideology as the serious basis for an alternative model for society.
The article will examine the political iconography of the ‘Islamic State of Iraq’ in digitally circulated images. It will present an iconological analysis of the composition and construction of paradigmatic icons and images and will show which motifs, themes and narratives are employed to give meaning to iconographical representations.
Two Muslim Presidents. Two speeches celebrating the anniversary of Prophet Muhammad’s birth. Two very different messages. Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, on two different occasions ((Dec. 22 and Dec. 24) iterated his call for... more
Two Muslim Presidents. Two speeches celebrating the anniversary of Prophet Muhammad’s birth. Two very different messages.
Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, on two different occasions ((Dec. 22 and Dec. 24) iterated his call for “changes in approach” that would bring Islam peaceful coexistence of all races, religions and doctrines. He stated: “No one should define someone by their appearance or religion.”
Sisi insisted Muslims should acknowledge that times have changed and, therefore, Islam has to be modernized.
