Hardly any action by the “Islamic State” (ISIS) escapes the American media’s radar. Yet no one paid attention when the terrorist organization banned rooftop pigeon keeping. The ancient pastime, in which men raise and fly pigeons on roofs, completed ISIS’s swelling list of “blasphemous” practices – which includes wearing skinny jeans or keeping music on mobile phones.
Officially, ISIS outlawed pigeon flying as a sinful distraction from worshipping God. But this obscure explanation might not be the entire story. If we explore the equivalent New York tradition, we find another reason behind the terrorists’ attack on harmless Syrian fliers. We can then better understand ISIS’s agenda.
In New York and in Syria, pigeon fliers are largely seen as recluses who prefer animal to human companionship. Consider “Pigeon Man,” an episode from the Hey Arnold! cartoon, as the typical American perception of pigeon fliers. “Some people are meant to be with people, and others, like me, are just different,” explains the mysterious pigeon man. His lone account echoes dominant views within Syria: “Nobody likes [pigeon people]. They live alone.” Pigeon fliers are pushed to the societal margins.
We reject these men because they seemingly defy assumptions that humans need social interactions. Many New York fliers describe rooftops as “another world” that removes them from urban temptations. Raising birds keeps fliers off the streets. And this redeeming function extends to Syria. “Only here do I find real peace of mind,” says a Damascene flier on his roof. Because fliers could not integrate into mainstream society, they found solace in keeping animals.
But framing rooftop fliers as outcasts ignores that the men’s bird activities embed them in a distinct community. Only by recognizing the social meaning of pigeon flying can we understand why it confronts ISIS.
In the Middle East, as in New York, pigeon flying is not a solitary activity. Up on the roofs or at the pet shop, fliers interact daily with peers. They practice a game of pigeon thievery: flying their flocks over the city and competing to capture rivals’ birds. By tradition, birds that return to another owner are kept as prize. “Manny caught two; Joey got two… I tell ’em, OK, I lost a few. You know, they screaming over shit,” recalls a New York flier. The rules of the “pigeon war” (kash al-hamam in Arabic) span across continents. In Beirut, a pigeon vendor sees fliers discussing their achievements: “it’s really a verbal competition, such as ‘I caught your bird that you said cannot be caught’… No negative feelings.” All reconcile over a cup of tea.
To be successful at the game, the men intensely train and take care of their flocks each day. They spend hours fixing rooftops, building cages, and nursing pigeons. This caretaking work fosters intimate ties between fliers and their birds. Most New York fliers even consider their pigeons as an extension of their persona: “I relate to the birds as if they’re like me. If I’m sick, they’re sick. If I’m cold, they’re cold.” Similar perceptions prevail across the Atlantic. An Iraqi flier admits, “this hobby is my blood.” The man’s birds become part of himself.
But pigeons matter to him because their performances determine his status in the group. By sculpting unique breeds and pushing pigeons beyond their natural limits, fliers assert their reputation among peers. “The most important thing about the competition is…to prove yourself,” asserts a flier from Cairo, Egypt. A New York counterpart agrees: “in the pigeon game, nobody wants to be the loser…I’m always gonna try to be on the top, no matter what it takes.” Pigeons shape fliers’ social identity.
Contrary to popular belief, rooftop pigeon fliers are thus not hermits. Rather, they form a distinct social group structured around its animal practices.
Under this light, ISIS’s ban on pigeon flying finds a new meaning. By outlawing a millennial tradition from its territory, the terrorist group does not target insecure dropouts. It attacks chiefly a subcultural identity threatening its attempt to gain total control over people’s lives.
In her book The Origins of Totalitarianism, Hannah Arendt writes that “terror can rule absolutely only over men who are isolated against each other.” Pigeon fliers are easy targets: a majority of them only mix with other fliers. By depriving these men of social interactions, ISIS seeks to build the “total, unrestricted, unconditional, and unalterable loyalty” it needs in order to sustain itself. Destroying the subculture of pigeon flying is not an isolated endeavor. It is part of ISIS’s totalitarian agenda.
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