Siege Perilous
SIEGE PERILOUS
Glimpses of the Modern Crusade
Medieval Christian mythology speaks of Siege Perilous, the name of a chair left vacant at the Round Table of Camelot. It was a place reserved only for the purest of heart, the most pious and honorable knight who alone was destined to recover the cup of Christ from the Last Supper. Anyone but the Grail-bringer himself who sat in the “Perilous Seat” would be struck dead instantly.
Alas it was Galahad who claimed the seat, and as legend is told, retrieved the Holy Grail. Galahad’s symbol was a red cross set upon a white shield; the standard used by the Knights Templar. It is the Cross of St. George and the first flag of England. It is the crusader’s mark.
If perception is indeed reality, then to much of the Muslim world, the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan are nothing short of a modern crusade. As a villager in the volatile province of Helmand, Afghanistan said with no hint of irony or drama: This is a war between Christianity and Islam.
These photographs do not attempt to depict a literal account of war, or an accurate portrait of Iraq or Afghanistan. Nor are they meant to explain the outcome of politics or strategy. They are merely windows into a parallel reality brought to Muslim lands on the wings of Christian armies. They are glimpses of the past, and opaque visions of a possible future. They are interpretations of reality: Perceptions.
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