In Whose Name?

Abbas is an Iranian photographer who spent the last 10 years photographing in 16 different countries for his book, In Whose Name?, coming out January 15. In Whose Name? covers all form of extremism from religious to political, in each of the countries. Through Abbas’ representations the countries do not seem so different, each has their own forms of extremism and violence. His perspective as an Iranian citizen challenges stereotypical representations of Muslims and questions the Western thought that extremism is confined to the Middle East.

Take for example, Abbas’ photographs of the United States with their depiction of Christianity’s influence within the United States. He photographs usually combine religious symbols with politics. The seen below is wearing an American Flag sweater, is carrying a bible, and it attending a political rally in favor of the 10 commandments being displayed in public places. As Americans we always think of ourselves as completely secular, however, our state is also built on the principles of religion. Abbas’ photographs show that is not only Muslims who believe the duality of religion and law, but there are also people in the United States who want Christian laws as visible in the public sphere as secular laws.

What Abbas also questions is the role of political ideologies in eliciting similar violent extremism to that of the Jihadists. A political ideology does not wholly differ from a religious ideology. Both have basic rules, rights and moral codes of conduct that people believe in. Thinking about the United States in this way, I have to question whether our belief in freedom and democracy can be viewed as a form of violent extremism? We have fought more wars in the name of democratic freedom, than Jihadists have fought against the West. At what point do we need to criticize ourselves, or at least our government, for creating violent conflicts in order to spread our own radical notions of democracy?

Lastly, what I also enjoyed about Abbas’ photographs were his portraits of Middle Eastern society that challenge Western stereotypes. Especially in his pictures of Iran, he constructs a portrait of the society that one would never see represented in mainstream media. Some of my favorite pictures are displayed below. What I like most about these two photographs is that he gives these women an agency that is so little shown in media. Also, with the two women making the clothes, he shows that Iran is a ‘progressive’ society that is able to blend the traditions of Sharia with new developments in fashions that function within their societal conventions.

Thus, Abbas as a Middle Eastern photographer is able to provide a different perspective that the one we are used to seeing portrayed in media. An his work as an independent photographer provides one of the most objective explorations of extremism I have been able to encounter.

Check out magnum photos website to see all the photographs:

http://www.magnumphotos.com/Archive/C.aspxVP3=ViewBox&CT=Album&ALID=29YL530LLOOH

On a side note, Abbas also went to the UAE and some of his pictures relate to the discussion in my last post about the economic division and tourist spectacles of the UAE. Notice the differences between the luxury of an indoor ski resort in the middle of the desert and the housing the people are provide with.