The dominant elements in the image are the title “risalat fatima” (“Fatima’s letter”) and the blood dripping from the letters of the caption. The subject link on the top right of the image is red and is fashioned to look like it is dripping blood as well. It reads: “al-asra wa-qadaya al-ta‘dhib” (“prisoners and issues of torture”). On the prison cell door, the words “dakhilak ya Allah” (“please God”) are etched in Levant dialect. The primary symbol of the martyr is blood or red, which is linked to the vital force and warlike qualities. In Islam (as was the custom in pre-Islamic Arabia), blood or shedding blood is also linked to contrition and expiation, paying for a wrongdoing or sin with blood. The title “Fatima’s letter” refers to the letter of a woman named Fatima incarcerated at Abu Ghrayb prison. Her letter was widely published on the web and in other media in the Arab world. In the letter, she accused her U.S. captors of raping and torturing her. The story of Abu Ghrayb abuses broke worldwide in 2004
