When it comes to jihad porn, abstinence is best

This feature is a preview from this week’s Spectator, out tomorrow:

I am sure we’re all in agreement that watching videos of adults abusing children is wrong. At least outside the halls of BBC light entertainment (historically speaking) such a consensus must exist. So how has it become not just right, but seemingly virtuous, to watch and then promote pictures of big bearded men chopping off children’s heads?

The proliferation of torture and beheading porn is one of the social media horrors of our day. Every minute millions of people around the world send links to videos and photographs. And as world news gets darker, even if you don’t seek them out, such images find their way to you.

Of course the boastful sadists of Isis and similar groups ‘produce’ most of this content. And of course they have some admirers who pass around their images and videos in support. But it is among the non-admirers, including some of the most outspoken opponents of these barbarians, that the confusion arises. Those who clearly do not approve of the acts shown have begun to use such images and videos to make political points. Others send them round in an extreme effort to demonstrate compassion or virtue. While still others seem intent on displaying just how much they are willing to put themselves through.

Over recent weeks, pictures of dead babies in Gaza have been pushed around
social media by people objecting to Israel’s engagement with Hamas. And pictures of a beheaded baby have been pushed around social media by those calling for international involvement to stop Isis slaughtering Yazidis and Christians in Iraq. The pictures are often of dubious provenance. Some of
the Gaza dead babies turned out to be backdated photos of Syrian dead babies.