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Kuwait: The 99 - Super Heroes of the Muslim world
This was on Frontline last night on PBS. Rather interesting. The cartoon creator wanted a alternative to Pokemon cartoons in his own country of Kuwait. He was a graduate of Columbia University in New York. I was surprised that the more fundamentalist's clerics weren't too happy with this writers interpretation of of Mohammed's 99 attributes and was actively trying to get this cartoon banned despite it's popularity. The cartoon creator attempted to create a image of Islam in a more moderate perspective and not one of suicide bombers commonly associated as hero's in the Muslim world. Q: How did you get started on The 99? A: I had just finished business school, and I was in a London cab going from Edgware Road to Harris. It was the summer. I didnt know what I was going to do with my life. And my sister turned to me and said, Naif, do you remember that you told me after school youd go back to writing? I said, [Selma], for me to go back now its got to have the potential of Pokemon. Otherwise it just doesnt make sense. And this is where luck or fate first struck my project, because, had I said Superman or Batman or Spider-Man or any man, The 99 would not have been born, because what happened in my mind was the following. I said Pokemon. My next thought was there had been a fatwah issued against Pokemon in this region. My next thought was, my god, who are these people? And who appointed them to be spokespeople for Islam? My next thought was of Allah: how disappointed he must be. My next thought was that Allah had 99 attributes. And that brought me full circle back to Pokemon, which is a concept of 300 attributes. Now at the end of that cab ride, I turned to my sister and I said, What do you think of this? And she liked the idea and, from there, it just captured my mind. Q: What did you set out to do with The 99? A:In todays world, you know, were inundated with comics or cartoons on TV and satellite. Its not like 30 years ago, when there wasnt much of that around. So I would hope that, for some kids, its giving their parents a reason to allow [them to see] this material versus something else, because I know a lot of people who dont let their kids read Spider-Man and Batman. And I know a lot of people who dont let their kids watch TV. But this is something thats fun but safe, you know, because in The 99, there wont be stories about dating. Theres not going to be any alcohol. Theres not going to be any sex. But were not going to preach about the non-use of these things. Were just going keep away. Its also culturally acceptable. You know, you dont have to worry about the bad guy ending up with an Arab name or Muslim identity. More at link including a video of the broadcast that will posted June 28th. Posted by: Delphi 2007-06-27 |
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