I saw this image on Flash90, our photojournalism agency, and became curious about the sign – four raised fingers. The caption did not help:
“Palestinians gather during a demonstration in support of ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, in the southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah on August 23, 2013.”
So I went looking online and discovered it’s a new victory sign, which is being flashed across Egypt to remember the Rabaa al-Adawiya Muslim Brotherhood protest camp that was dispersed last week in a deadly military crackdown.
Ktzat Aravit: in Arabic “Rabaa” means “fourth,” and the hand gesture is being used to display solidarity with protesters at “Rabaa.” The image has spread like wildfire in the social networks, including President Obama’s Facebook page, which turned yellow with Egyptian comments. And there were parodoes, too, like this one?
Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan used the “Rabaa” salute during a speech last week, and Turkish international midfielder and national soccer captain Emre Belozoglu picked up the cue, making the gesture after scoring for the Turkish Fenerbahce in their opening game of the season.