Everyday Iraq: Beyond Islam and Primitivism

Have you’ve been following the “Everyday” feeds on Instagram? If so, you know they not only provide a more complex and nuanced picture of the non-Western world but the photos will shake you out of the stupor induced by the steady dose of stereotypes doled out by western media.

This shot from Everyday Iraq is a good example. If newswire images of that country are filled with war, pestilence and plenty of sand, not to mention ramshackle surroundings and hives of men fervently prostrating themselves in dusty streets as if lost in time, this couldn’t be more different. Praying beside his aircraft, the photo of this pilot flies in the face of difference, primitivism and all that is ancient.

(photo: @mmhamidreza/EverydayIraq. caption: A pilot prays next to his airplane in #Najaf airport in #Iraq.)