Image of Shamil Basayev

On the left of this image is the deceased leader of Riyad al-Salihin group, Shamil Basayev (also known as Abdallah Shamil Abu Idris) who was assassinated in 2006. A fellow rebel appears to his right. Basayev is shown with a raised pointer finger in a gesture associated with the utterance of the shahada (Islamic testimony of faith holding that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is his messenger).Hanging in the background is the group’s flag, which consists of traditional Islamic colors. In the center of the green area is a black oval with the phrase “Allah Akbar” (“God is Greatest”) over a sword. The latter suggests a desire on the part of the designer to link the message to early Islamic history and the first generation of Muslims. Swords are seen as noble weapons that embody the religious purity, nobility and righteousness that is associated with the Prophet, his companions and their successful military campaigns. Thus, a sword helps depict current jihadi activities as modern extensions of those campaigns and lends them an aura of legitimacy. Furthermore, the sword, combined with the AK-47 to left of Basayev, signals to the viewer a continued armed struggle with religious justification. It is noteworthy that several of the elements included in this image, produced by or for a Central Asian jihadist group, are similar to the elements found in propaganda material from Muslim, Middle Eastern, Arab and non-Arab jihadist groups.