The image is a profile photo of a Facebook community page. At the top, the caption, in Indonesian, reads: “situs berita dunia islam & berita jihad terdepan” (“a news site for the Islamic world and for leading jihadi news”). Jihadi visual propaganda uses images of the globe/planet earth in order to globalize localized issues and conflicts, as well as to articulate the global aims/nature of the jihadi struggle and/or particular groups. Here, the image globalizes the Indonesian theater of jihad and highlights the international arena of Jemaah Islamiah’s activities.
According to prophetic tradition (hadith), the black flag was the battle flag of the Prophet Muhammad and it was carried into battle by many of his companions. The image of the black flag has been used as a symbol of religious revolt and engagement in battle (i.e., jihad). In the contemporary Islamist movement, the black flag is used to evoke notions of jihad and of reestablishing the Islamic Caliphate.
Finally, the image features clouds in the background. In Islam, clouds are a sign of Allah’s total inscrutability prior to creation. The cloud is also the bearer of rain and therefore bounty (khayr, which is a synonym for rain), and is a sign of good things to come.
