That woman looks more pitiful than the man.

The picture speaks volumes, very powerful. But what I can't seem to get out of my mind is the forced burka-slavery of this poor women who is covered head to toe if she does not comply she will be in someones arms dying at the hands of a male Muslim fanatical.

Where are the feminists? Where are the volumes of women who would not stand for this in the USA?Where are the women/people who if you make a joke about a women not being equal to a man are ready to burn someone at the stake? Where are you bra-burning equal rights/sisterhood womens voices??

We're here, Flash...but we're kinda busy at the moment.

You know, keeping politicians out of our pants is a full time job these days.

If that's all you get out of this picture, stop looking....

you can see her wrists... she's not covered from head to toe :P

Pam, you got it right. Too busy fighting our own battle against Repubs and fanatical right.

JK- What do you expect from this religion. Woman are only for breeding and obeying the man as slaves. Chalaphate is spreading all over the western countries. With all the violence and killings, bombings in these Arab countries; I find this religion sick and non peaceful.

Left Handed,

Would you stand and watch while your children blow one another to pieces? Even more disturbing, if you knew everything in advance... if you knew all the pain and suffering your children were about to inflict on one another, and if you were omnipotent and had unlimited powers to save them from themselves, would you just stand and watch from a distance?

The usual argument is god is teaching us a lesson. Would you let one of your children kill the other one just so the survivor would learn a lesson? The real question is, who is the lesson for, the dead one or the living one?

If that's what god does, he's not a very good parent.

God also gave man free will....don't blame God, blame mankind.

differnet

Yours was the only comment worth reading. Thank you for seeing the art in the photo and nothing else

Heartbreaking.

I am saddened by the lack of understanding and tolerance that my fellow Americans display

She looks a bit creepy to me...like some sort of ninja.

Night Hawk - It isn't the "art" in the photo that makes it a winner, it's the story that the photo tells.

This photo should make us all really think about the struggles going on in the Muslim countries of the Middle East.

I think I've seen better pictures this year. I will never get why people buy paintings of spilled paint either. I dont understand Liberalism either for that matter.

If that's what god does, he's not a very good parent.

Dont try and understand God buddy. Nobody knows what God really is.

Skorned...

ditto...I saw an extremely large painting at the Smithsonian Art Museum once...it stood about 7 ft tall was totally black but had a tiny white square drawn on the bottom?? I never understood the significance. And to think, someone got paid for that thing...

I suppose it's like "they" say..."beauty is in the eyes of the beholder"

Don't blame God for our stupidity. He does not intervene because he gave us free will, or perhaps he got tired of our lack of common sense.

You want to know a little about God, go to godcountrypolitics at wordpress.com. You might agree with my definition.

JK

I understand that it is art and a winner and the photo does tell a story which I understand completly.

It is God's responsibility to save us from ourselves isn't it? Heaven forbid we actually take responsibility for our own actions. Blame God, just don't blame me. It is always someone else's fault.

You are a better man than I Night Hawk!

Just had to jump right into the political whining...

This is a bittersweet picture...and I do hope this man is ok now...

Joyce- In respond to your comment you know whats the truth which I find some Americans cannot handle. These Arab woman who are covered up like this are just as devious and sick & dangerous. They can strap a bomb under their cloak and blow people up and are no different than the men. I ask you if you find these people so warm and friendly why dont you go over to their country and see how well you get treated especially if you are an American.

And how can anyone tell that that is a woman? That picture could be about most anything. Is the naked guy injured or spent? Spent by him or her? Just curious.

next

Joyce, Piegan is right. I just returned for over the pond. You think Islam is such a nice peaceful bunch? Then you obviously have never been in that area of the world. It is totally segregated, and closed to females. And, the shocking thing is everywhere they immigrate they turn that area into an anti-female situation, look no further than the Paris suburbs. You haven't a clue about how Islam distorts millions of Muslim European immigrants, and prays upon their fears of acclimation within a country, instead they segregate and become closed. If you an American female were to walk into those areas, be prepared to become Lara Logan my dear. And you saying not so, does not make it not so.

That ninja is about to break that mans neck.

JMO2011,

As long as your god is omniscient; free will is an illusion. He knows everything in advance. He knew Adam and Eve would disobey him. He knew I would be writing this post. No matter how many choices you make, no matter how many times you lapse and repent, god already knows what the final outcome of every life will be.

The sickening implication of the poorly imagined qualities of omnipotence are that god creates billions of human beings he knows will never even hear of him, or who will reject him and therefore will be sentenced to hell.

I say poorly imagined, because that's what god is; a poorly designed figment of the inaginations of primitive, bronze age humans who were limited in their understanding of the nature of existence.

They were not stupid, but they were ignorant. They were not sophisticated enough to realize the quality of omnipotence paints a character into multiple logical dead end corners; paradoxes.

Is god all good? If so he why does he permit evil to exist? In fact the bible says he creates evil! (Isaiah 45:7) Is god all powerful? If so, why couldn't he defeat the chariots of iron? (Judg. 1:19)

Is god perfect? If so why does he admit to being jealous? Isn't Jealousy a sin? Does god sin? How could a perfect being have regrets? (Gen. 6:6) Does that mean god made a mistake?

Why is he quick to anger and why does he take revenge? All these qualities are considered character flaws in a human being, how can they be qualites of a being who is perfect and omnipotent?

Why does a perfect, all good, all powerful being instruct his 'children' to conduct slavery, ethnic cleansing, mass murder, rape and ritual sacrifice of one another and to dedicate it all to his glory?

Why does a perfect, all good, all powerful being need to be worshiped in the first place and what could a being like that possibly be jealous of?

You figure it out and report back. I'll watch from a distance.

That is an amazing photograph. For just one moment it would be a celebration to just forget religion, politics and the debate over the burka. That could all be looked at some other time. The beauty of that photo far surpasses any statement about all that and could not better personify compassion that overcomes the reality and often tragic circumstances of our humanity. Its beautiful.

They reap what they sow!! It's the 21st century and we still have women completely cloaked! Ridiculous. I feel nothing but repulsion at the entire situation and the picture just magnifies it.

justathought...

Obviously, "beauty is in the eyes of the beholder"

cantakenomore: I couldn't agree with you more cantakenomore. We're all entitled to our own perspectives and perceptions in any given moment and to express them.

KevinMC - sounds like you've got it all figured out. So what then do you need from me?

What explanation can be given that would change your mind from what you currently think about God.

Sorry, not interested in wasting your time and mine with some debate that, at the end of the day, will change nothing.

However, I do believe that all people have choices in life. It's those choices that direct our life's pathway. Good luck to you.

Thank you kevenmc. Well stated!

JOM2011,

Typical cowardly believer; insert yourself with a dramatic statement you aren't prepared to defend and then walk away smug. Sorry if I pointed out your belief system is ridiculous and full of holes.

Oh and two things for the record;

I never claimed to figure out anything on my own. I have stood on the shoulders of giants who have argued the cause of reason since before Jesus was invented.

I never blamed god, since god is a man made invention; a myth. All his faults are man's faults, all his brutality is man's brutality. And the opposite is also true, man is responsible for all the love and beauty in the world too.

Speaking of whom, Jesus says; Believe in me or burn like matchsticks in a lake of fire for all eternity, and you think that's a realistic set of options! It takes a high degree of cognitive dissonance to call that a choice.

Tell me, is being considered a sheep something you can opt out of with your god given free will? I only ask because they never seem to mention that shepherds don't love their flocks, they own them and they eat them and wear their skins.

Imagine all that time you've wasted groveling in church and you're still headed for a dinner plate!

Good Luck!

Kevin - typical atheist attack. I simply won't waste my time with you - you've already made up your mind and I know that nothing I say will change your mind, so WHY BOTHER?!?!?! On ignore you go.

Have a nice day, or not....could really care less.

Just some food for thought. It is said that the Chinese own about 45%, give or take, of the American mortgages. Now if the Chinese decided that they wanted your house and the land it sits on say for mining our natural resources or the such. If we as Americans decided to fight back what would we be in the Chinese eyes? Terrorists? We have to start paying attention to world events. The love of money is the root of all evil.

Am I the only one that recognized Left-handed's quote?? God is watching us (3x) from a distance is a song that Bette Midler sings. LOL Not sure if that was intentional, but now it's stuck in my head!! Thx

Everyone's going all religious debating back and forth about God.... just thought it was funny how a simple comment or quoting a song in this case can cause everyone to bicker back and forth about God.

Ok, I'm going back to reading now. :-)

JOM 2100,

Yes, you have been beaten viciously about the head and left bleating profusely! The weapon? Looks like you were hit with the Truth. Word of advice; don't start something you can't finish.

Baaahhh...

Kevin - first of all - I never started anything with you. I made a simple comment and did many others and yet it's just me you wish to attack.

2nd of all - your postings give a clear indication that you have already made up your mind that you don't believe in God, you make vague references at concepts and yet quote no scriptures.

I (being as smart as I am) recognize that no matter what I say, you will not change your mind, so therefore, logically it makes sense to me not to engage in enlongated conversations that will simply go nowhere.

Seems like you have a fetish with some sheep - you may want to seek help for that.

JMO 2011,

OK, let's get petty.

The sequence of events is right up there in black and white: #1. Differnet commented eloquently on the photo; #1.2. left-handed instantly brought god into it with an innane reference to a maudlin song that makes no sense; #1.9. I asked left-handed if god's lack of action while his children butchered each other was anything to be proud of;

At #1.10. you took issue with my comment. No one else even mentioned my initial comment, not even left-handed.

At #1.35. Mimi-from the-Bronx complimented my second post. Otherwise it's just been you and me.

I suggest you go back and take a second look at #1.29; I included chapter and verse 3 times when I referenced scripture.

Speaking of vague concepts, it is the buybull that is vague, not my questions about it! It is revealed religion that is vague, not critical anaylsis of it; it is the god of revealed religion who stays hidden in the high places and reveals his secret plans and strange ways to a select few, he is the one who is vague.

That is why people of reason question religious concepts so often; because they are vague, and THAT'S WHY THEY ARE CALLED SACRED MYSTERIES!! Can you hear me now?

I pose the same questions skeptics have asked for thousands of years precisely because the buybull is SO @!$%#ING VAGUE! Yet, being as smart as they are the only answer church leaders ever come up with is... it's a mystery of faith.

You, being as smart as you are, ought to recognize that a sacred mystery is intentionally designed to be vague; because if people figure it out, church leaders might actually have to work for a living!

“Ridicule is the only weapon which can be used against unintelligible propositions. Ideas must be distinct before reason can act upon them; and no man ever had a distinct idea of the trinity. It is the mere Abracadabra of the mountebanks calling themselves the priests of Jesus.” Thomas Jefferson.

Finally,

Yes I insult Christianity, for the same reason Jefferson does, it is preposterous. But I also offer careful, intelligent arguments to back my case.

You ought to thank your god every day for the annonimity of the internet. It allows thumb sucking amatures to hide behind insults when they have no argument.

This is not about trying to change anyone's mind; it's about challenging someone who shot off their mouth to defend their core beliefs. If you have no backbone and no intelligent argument to defend your core beliefs then STFU!

I have several questions about the photo.

1) everyone says the man is wounded. Do you see any wounds? He's sitting up...there's nothing to indicate a hospital or medical setting. No blood, no bandages, no IV, no splints or slings, no visible equipment or meds.

2) Is that a tattoo on his forearm? It isn't in Arabic. Could be the photographer's signature? It doesn't appear to be the photographer's name.

3) It's warm enough for the man to be, apparently, naked. Isn't it hot for the woman under those yards of heavy black cloth? And what's with the Michael Jackson gloves?

4) Can she see through that thing?

5) is this an intimate moment of Pieta-like private grief, compassion, and comfort--with a journalist for the NYTimes ready with his camera?

Just wondering.

The Middle East is a place where traditions, cultures, and religion influence daily life. Most of the Arabian Peninsula has a strict dress code where married women must keep their faces veiled "because it might tempt other men to rape her". Unfair? Yes it it, but it's not our place to judge other places when back home we have problems of our own as well.

The left would have been mortified? Right, 'cause we're the ones who are intolerant of other cultures and deviations from our narrow world view. Ha!

roberto suarez:

What does this photo have to do with "the left"? It's a photograph. Period. Take a break, the election will be here soon enough.

Actually roberto, it's the religious right that would be mortified. Most lefties see this as art, your righties would see it as an abomination in the eyes of god, like they would know. It don't matter whats happining in the middle east, this is creative. Most people will try to see the picture for what it is, and not make it into something it is not.

HeIsTheGreatest

OH SHUT UP YOU F'ing MORON. Can we once look at somehting disgusting and say that one thing is disgusting without finding something in America to compare it to.

I certainly can. I find your post disgusting.

I can't help but wonder if your nickname is religious in nature. If it is, I also wonder if you think that "He" would approve of calling people profane names like you just did.

While a beautiful picture in content - in simplicity - what I see are two people suffering for a belief - who have paid a price - one knows it and understand why - the other doesn't and is beyond caring.

Beautiful picture but beyond pitiful. All this was brought on by men: the war, the burqa, the whole situation.

I also find it deeply troubling that the Muslims continue on their course with females as secondary citizens worth a third of a man. I also find any religion that has the power to make their followers cower 5 times a day in a humiliating and demeaning way, to please a bunch of old men who call themselves clerics to be extremely dangerous. They are nothing more than slave masters to the masses. As long as Arab countries value females less, and keep up their degradation by exclusion and humiliation, they are hopelessly third word. Some things change, but not much changes in the middle east. The hatred between the factions within Islam are enough to destroy any movement forward for their culture. I honestly don't think a thing over there will change in my lifetime.

Heh heh...I thought the same thing!

On another note...this photo isn't about OUR politics, OUR president, or OUR culture. So stop going there. If you really disagree with the political situation in OUR country, and really think you have the balls to fix it, please....shut up and run for President already. I hear there's an opening.

I find it strange that almost every single post on this article is about what the woman is wearing. Does nobody give a damn what happened to this MAN? He is the one that is injured, after all.

The many posts are not about 'what' the woman is wearing. It is about 'why' she is wearing it. Complex tho the issue may be - it is as simple as that.

your comment is stupid and i can say you are complete idiot and ignorant

I think it's Darothy Vader.

gtfyre -

The woman is not wearing rubber gloves. Traditional dress requires Muslim women to wear gloves in public, and traditionally they wear white gloves, as in this photo.

Furthermore, the composition of the photo -- assuming you know the actual artistic meaning of the term composition -- is excellent. The subject is placed on the 9-square grid in the exact position it should appear for good composition.

This is an excellent photograph by artistic standards and if there is any bias shown regarding its award, the bias is yours.

The gloves are obviously not rubber. Or latex. They are clearly made of a woven material. And as the other poster pointed out, the gloves are part of their custom.

Look up Michelangelo's Pieta. It's a historic reference now being displayed in contemporary times, THAT's why this photo won the contest.

Melissa, I'm quite familiar with Michelangelo's Pieta, and have no need to look it up, so you can drop the santimony. In fact, I personally viewed the Pieta while at the Vatican several years ago. Likewise, I understand that the photo is simply another representation of that classic work. As stated in my post, I don't think it's a bad photo' it's really quite good. But I still believe it was selected more for political purposes than for artistic ones.

Gotta agree with you, Chip. To me, the photo is so obviously posed. A total fake, meant to pull at our sentimental heartstrings like a well-done Hallmark card, drawing on all the shallow pieties we westerners tend to hold dear...exotic setting, mysterious hidden woman from 'another culture', vague timely political reference without seeming to take sides. More pablum taking itself seriously as "art".

Gotta agree with you, Chip. To me, the photo is so obviously posed. A total fake, meant to pull at our sentimental heartstrings like a well-done Hallmark card, drawing on all the shallow pieties we westerners tend to hold dear...exotic setting, mysterious hidden woman from 'another culture', vague timely political reference without seeming to take sides. More pablum taking itself seriously as "art".

Apologies to all for my comment showing up twice! I had to run through the spam control routine a second time...and I guess this is the result.

I would differ with you - it is our very humanity that brings forth our compassion. Indeed a great photo - on that you and I agree.

Gee, what gave it away? You're smart!

Thank you Pam. That was so well said.

I would assume she's veiled because she's in public, not in her home...the article says the photo was taken in an emergency field hospital that was set up in a mosque.

But in spite of the fact that I am not pro-veiling (makes me pretty angry in general), I really like the fact that both the man and the women have their faces obscured. By erasing their individuality, the photo transforms them into symbols of every woman and every man affected by the wars & uprisings. I think it's a very striking and beautiful photo, very moving.

In their culture women cannot be photographed (veiled or unveiled) without the man's permission. He also has to be present at the sooting or "Off with her head" as they say.

In their culture women cannot be photographed (veiled or unveiled) without the man's permission. He also has to be present at the sooting or "Off with her head" as they say.

@LordKellith...delightful thought eh?

Chantel - take a pill, why don't you? You really know how to read between the lines to get all that out of this simple photo. It victimizes Israel? Give me a break....

Wow...sometimes I wonder if the world would be better off if there was no religion. As long as fear mongers like you use it as a reason to hate or as a doctrine to promulgate your ignorance, religion will continue to divide us. How many people have had to die in the name of religion? So much for the"golden rule." Thanks Chantel...go back to your bunker and await the Apocalypse.

Chantel, after reading your post I feel an odd, overwhelming desire to listen to some John Lennon songs.

I see that as the problem right there. When any group decides they are the "chosen ones" there is a problem in my view. But feel free to make up a whole scenario and decide the motivations of the photographer...lol.

Chantel,

Our Declaration of Independence states, "All men are created Equal..." over here in the land of the free and the home of the brave, there is no such thing as a chosen people.

"I will make a people, my people, that were not my people." You have some rights believing in The First Commandment and no other "god" before him (idols of brass, wood and stone) but at least believe The Creator according to prophesy can sire a child. That child is Jesus: "no one come to The Father, accept through Me." Not the fertility goddess of Canaan. It is written in the last chapter of Daniel about Jesus. You know the rule: "if My people seek My face, I will dwell amongst them." God asks Christians to care for Israel and we try, as we fought in WWII. Your right though, seemingly Americans care more about idols, like movie stars, football pro's and super models more than we do human needs. America has a conscience though, give us time to make amends. Shalom.

We also need to teach people that it's not "Michael Angelo." It's Michelangelo - as in Michelangelo Buonarroti.

Very well said Jack.....It is the shame of world that we as human beings cannot after so many centuries, learn live with and accept one another. There a good and evil presence in this world... and the struggle continues. Those who cannot see past their blind hatred are lost. A world without compassion is a doomed world indeed.

Chip ...a minor detail that is far less relevant than the point Jack has made.

Coffeedrinker-2724437

TOTALLY AGREE WITH YOU! You see somewhat his pain/emotion in the pic but w/her covered head to toe in black garb no capture of emotion what-so-ever! (Is that the dramatic beauty of the photo and if so like you say --I'm not sure it would come close to the other possible "BEST in the world" pics).

Sure you do. The local newspaper gulfnews.com reports all the time on UAE foreign aid to other Muslim countries. As a percentage of GDP the UAE and Kuwait give vastly more than the US. But it is simply not news when the UAE gives money to the Comoros.