Abbas was a photographer who traveled the world religiously throughout his adult life, chasing moments that could never be captured again. One of the earliest major events that helped shape his career was the 1974 boxing match known as The Rumble in the Jungle between George Foreman and Muhammad Ali. It wasn’t just an iconic moment for boxing; it stood as one of the most monumental sporting events of the 20th century. Outside the ring, the match paralleled a shifting political landscape across Africa, as nations broke free from colonial rule. In this context, the media presence brought international attention to the newly renamed Zaire. While Mobutu, the country’s dictator, wasn’t a boxing fan and didn't attend, he recognized the power of global media. Abbas was there, capturing a meeting between Ali and Mobutu that helped solidify Ali’s legendary status — and pushed Abbas further into the world of high-stakes documentary photography.
Abbas would go on to redefine what documentary photography could look and feel like. Through both physical travel and creative vision, he captured images that conveyed not just moments, but the raw emotions behind them. He relentlessly sought out the heart of events that showed how the world was shifting, often putting himself in dangerous situations to do so. In 1971, he traveled without visa or money to Biafra, sneaking onto a plane full of journalists to photograph the country's tragic end. The next year, while working in Northern Ireland during The Troubles, a bomb exploded near him — leaving him unhurt but giving him the opportunity to capture a haunting image of the violence that defined that era. Abbas described Belfast’s peace wall as a symbol of centuries-old mistrust between Catholic and Protestant communities, encapsulating deep-rooted emotions in a single frame.
In 1978, Abbas returned to Iran to document the Iranian Revolution. Initially supportive, he soon realized the revolution’s darker turn and insisted on capturing the truth, even when pressured to destroy potentially damning photos. "I am a journalist, which is a historian of the present," he said. His commitment to honesty remained constant through his later work, where he documented conflicts across Vietnam, South Africa, Chile, Afghanistan, the Gulf War, and the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Abbas’s work often circled back to religion — but not in a traditional sense. He was more interested in the political, social, and psychological impacts of faith, particularly the horrors committed in the name of God. His photobooks, including Return to Mexico, A Journey Through Militant Islam, and Faces of Christianity, explored these intersections. After 9/11, he shifted his focus to understanding the mental shifts that could make such an event possible, traveling to 17 countries over seven years to complete In Whose Name? — though he never imposed his own conclusions on the reader.
In his final years, Abbas continued documenting world religions, including Buddhism, Hinduism, and Judaism. He passed away at 74, leaving behind a body of work that elevated documentary photography into a realm where it could be seen not just as journalism, but as historic art. If you have the conviction and courage to leap like Abbas did, it’s hard not to believe your impact would be felt too.