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Monday, February 02, 2009

Staged photo (and actor) of the day

Reb Akiva of Mystical Paths picks up on a nice example of a staged photo from Gaza.

From AP last week:

Leading Palestinian Hamas lawmaker Mushir Al-Masri stands in the chamber of the Palestinian Legislative Council that was destroyed during Israel's offensive in Gaza City, Monday, Jan. 26, 2009.

Let's look a bit closer at part of the photo:
Amongst the devastation, by Allah, five framed photos of Hamas members happen to all fall and drop in the same area, face up. And while the entire parliament building is covered with grey dust, these photos miraculously are clean.

Masri himself is in a prayerful position, looking heavenward at the very moment that the photographer happens to have clambered over to the balcony or perhaps set up the gear needed to take such a photo from such a high angle.

Masri is of course a deeply religious man, well known among Gaza journalists, always praying. Here we see him in a very similar pose as he leads prayers outside another ruined building, places that he seems to be magnetically drawn to along with Gaza photographers.
Another photo of him praying with the ruins in the background here. And another more recent example of him praying here.

Poor Masri, always getting caught by the intrusive photographers while he is just trying to have a couple of moments communicating privately with Allah.