To be sure, the slaughter does not justify Egyptian bombardment of populated Libyan areas, and there are indications that Cairo’s intentions in Libya predate the massacre.

The official Egyptian neglect of the fate of these workers after they were abducted does not absolve the killers of responsibility either, it doubles their guilt. The fact that the regime did not care about their fate confirms that they were poor and destitute. It proves they were of no significance to the regime and that killing them would not have harmed the ruling classes in any way.

While the murder of two Western journalists prompted 26 nations to form a coalition to fight IS, the murder of 21 Egyptian workers barely convinced media crews to visit their families in poor villages in Upper Egypt. It barely prompted leaders to offer their condolences.

And then there is IS’ practice of filming its atrocities, how it has turned the aesthetics of cinematography into sheer grotesqueness.

This is not new or even impressive. It is reminiscent of the fascist cinematography of the 1930s – with one difference perhaps being the fact that the Nazis manufactured their own cameras and weapons.

– Read more: Slaughter of Innocents and the Moral Burden – Azmi Bishara, Alaraby