Visual Motifs in Islamist Terrorism: Applying Conceptual Metaphor Theory

This article examines visual motifs in Islamist terrorism based on Conceptual Metaphor Theory, a theory using three key categories of metaphors (structural, orientational, and ontological metaphors). These metaphors are applied to three case studies to show how visual motifs can be used by Islamists to manipulate their audiences. The case studies are the symbols of (a) the waterfall, (b) the hand, and (c) the color black. Overall, in this analysis, an essential deduction from Islamist visual motifs is that metaphors are a principal conceptual system for Islamists. Metaphors are their main conduit for categorizing what they see in their universe and how they perceive both their in-group members and outside groups (e.g., infidels).