The image, which is the logo of the group Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP), contains two captions in Urdu. The first reads: “Ya allah madad” (“O God, help”), which is a paraphrase of a well know Shi‘ite prayer, “ya ‘ali madad” (“O Ali, help”). As the Sunni SSP is virulently anti-Shi‘i, the caption constitutes a critique of Shi‘i tenets and practices. The second caption reads: “kafir kafir shi‘a kafir” (“infidel, infidel, Shi‘a infidels”), reiterating the anti-Shi‘i bent of the group. The logo also contains the Pakistani flag: white crescent moon and star against the green background, indicating the group’s contention for power. Even more than the image of a full moon, the image of a white crescent moon constitutes an overt symbol of Islamic identity that highlights notions of purity and religious piety.
