The top caption in red states the name and title of Usama bin Ladin (“the martyr shaykh Usama bin Ladin”).

The caption in black reads: “aqsamtu bi-Allah al-‘azim lladhi rafa‘a al-sama’ bi-la ‘amad an lan tahlam amrika wa-la man ya‘ish fi amrika bil-amn wal-aman qabla an na‘ishahu waqi‘an fi filastin” (the caption is a famous saying from UBL which begins mimicking a quote of Q 13:2) (“I swear by God almighty who raised the heavens without supports [end of Qur’anic quote] that America and those who live in America will never sleep [lit. dream] in safety and security before we live in safety in Palestine”). The word “Palestine” appears in red beneath the black caption.

Lastly, the caption in  white at the bottom addresses Bin Ladin directly; it reads: “shaykhuna al-habib… kana lan minka al-‘ahd an na‘isha bi-aman. fa-lak min abna’ hamas kullu al-wafa’” (“our beloved shaykh… we had a promise from you that we would live in safety; and so you have from Hamas [our word that] we will fulfill the promise”). The logo of Hamas appears in the top left corner. To the right of the captions is a map of Israel/Palestine depicted without bordering countries or bodies of water. This evokes the national context and scope of that specific jihad, thereby designating the area as an important theater for jihad and implying a national obligation to join the struggle. Note that the location names are in Arabic and English.

More Information
Group Name Hamas (dedicated to AQ)
Group Type nationalist, religious
Group Affiliation Local Jihad (Independent entities with limited or no ties to international / external movements)
Dominant Colors White
Secondary Colors Red, Black, Green
Language Arabic
Isolated Phrases / Mottoes / Slogans 1) aqsamtu bi-Allah al-`azim lladhi rafa`a al-sama' bi-la `amad an lan tahlam amrika wa-la man ya`ish fi amrika bil-amn wal-aman qabla an na`ishahu waqi`an fi filastin 2) shaykhuna al-habib .. kana lan minka al-`ahd an na`isha bi-aman. fa-lak min abna' hamas kullu al-wafa
Image Number 0371
Groups Region of Operation Middle East
Groups Country of Operation Israel/Palestine
Body Parts Face / Bust
Geopolitical Symbols Country / Regional Map, Symbol of party, movement or company, Slogan
Geopolitical Analysis Israel/Palestine. Hamas logo - Dome of the Rock flanked by two Palestinian flags, a green map of Palestine at the top, two crossed swords at the bottom, green banner at the bottom bears full name of the group of which Hamas is the acronym.
People Group Leader / Influential figure, Operational Leader, Operative / Warrior (=mujahid), Man / Men
People Analysis Usama b. Ladin (AQC)
Religious Textual References Quranic Text, Quranic Citations, Text manipulation
Religious Textual References Analysis Partial and inaccurate quote.
Religious Symbols Holy Site
Religious Symbols Analysis The stone wall appears to be referring to Jerusalem stone and it is likely designed to evoke the Temple Mount.
Visual Themes Bin Ladin appears dressed in white headgear against a white background, which evokes notions of death in a state of purity, grief and mourning, as it is the color of shrouds. The background of the image is made to look like Jerusalem stone or the Western Wall on Temple Mount (adjacent to the Dome of the Rock). The barbed wire (bottom) is often used in jihadi imagery, particularly in the context of Palestinian jihad against the Israeli/Jewish enemy to signal the oppressive nature of the enemy.

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