This image was produced by Alif Media, the Islamic Jihad Union media company. At the top appears the media company’s logo in Arabic and Turkish: “wasa’il al-i‘lam alif” (Ar.) and “Elif Medya” (“Alif Media”). The first letter of the Arabic alphabet “alif” is red and appears as the mast for a black banner with the text of the shahada (Islamic testimony of faith holding that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is his messenger), as well as the letter “l” in the Turkish word “Elif.” Under the faces of the armed figures appears the full name of the group in Turkish: “Elif Medya Enformasyon Grubu” (“Alif Information Media Group”). The names of deceased members who are considered martyrs appear next in a bright purple. While participating in jihad gives a jihadist important religious credibility, death in battle provides immortality, as the deceased is ranked a martyr. It is believed that Muslim martyrs will be highly rewarded in the afterlife for their sacrifice and hold a special position in heavenly paradise. It is therefore not surprising that martyrdom is a central theme in jihadi visual propaganda.
Finally, at the bottom appears the slogan “Çok yakinda sizinle beraber” which roughly translates to (“with you very soon”), an often-repeated idea in jihadi imagery in relation to deceased members of the group, in order to indicate the continuation of the armed struggle by a new generation of fighters. The symbolism of the notion is expressed in the appearance of the armed toddler on the right who is also motioning with a pointed finger upward, a gesture associated with the utterance of the shahada. The haloed figure in white is the German citizen and IJU-splinter group member Eric Breininger, also known as Abd al-Gaffar al-Almani, who was killed on 30 April 2010 in Waziristan in a clash with Pakistani forces. The IJU-splinter group is identified in the body of the post as al-Ta’ifa al-Mansura Germany.
