Shamima Begum and the logic of everyday violence

What began as a war on terror is now the violence of the everyday—as the violent fantasies about Begum remind us.

by Lyndsey Stonebridge for Prospect Magazine

(Renu, eldest sister of Shamima Begum, 15, holds her sister's photo while being interviewed by the media at New Scotland Yard. Photo: PA)

‘Last week, a shooting range used the face of the teenager who joined ISIS, Shamima Begum, as a target. It was posted on Twitter, captioned with the words: “traitors,” “made your choice” and “no remorse.”

“The targets provide some fantastic reactions and conversations and allow people to have some light-hearted fun and bring out the inner child in us all,” a spokesperson for the range said. “The targets don’t always reflect personal opinions and we don’t want to condone terrorism. But after watching the interview with Ms Begum, there was a lack of empathy that she had shown and we decided to listen to our customers and use them as targets.”

Which provokes a question: what kind of everyday violence are we now living?’

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