In the Company of God

In the Company of God by Joao Silva is a photographic compilation that portrays Iraqi Shi'a Muslims in a period of occupation and transition. This photographic body of work, recorded over twelve months, richly captures the Shi'as' intense commitment to their faith and their indomitable spirit of sacrifice. Between July 2003 and March 2005, Joao Silva made several trips to Iraq as a photographer for The New York Times. During this period, he spent time with the Kurds, Sunni, Shi'a and the American-led Coalition forces. In the Company of God focuses on the Iraqi Shi'a, who constituted Iraq's ethnic majority but had been repressed in Saddam Hussein's Iraq. Silva provides a photo-narrative exploring the themes of faith, sacrifice, war and martyrdom. The pictures in this book are not displayed in a chronological order but rather in a manner that best illustrates a narrative about faith, sacrifice, war and martyrdom. They were taken while on assignment for The New York Times, from July 30 to November 3, 2003, from January 16 till April 1, 2004, from June16 until August 30, 2004, and again from January 18, 2005 until March 31, 2005.