an inch towards understanding ;)

by Ahmed Abdullah, IslamOnline Network, 06102007

At a time when Muslims around the world worry about the negative view that several people hold about Islam, Naif Al Mutawa decides to bridge the gap by creating a new comic book, which is expected to be appreciated by kids as well as adults everywhere.

Born in 1971 in Kuwait, Al Mutawa pursued his college degree at Tuffs University in Massachusetts, where he gained three majors in clinical psychology, English literature and history. He then started his writing career in Arabic and English newspapers. Al Mutawa also worked as a clinical psychologist with former prisoners of war in Kuwait and with survivors of political torture in New York, which greatly shaped his opinions.

According to AFP, the social, racial and religious intolerance forced Al Mutawa to write his children book, “To Bounce or Not to Bounce”, which introduced concepts for international understanding and cultural diversity.

Al Mutawa was then granted a UNESCO award for his children literature. However, it wasn’t until 2006 that he decided to create his monthly series, “The 99”, which was recently launched in Indonesia.

Al Mutawa told AFP that the colourful, action-packed comic book seeks to act as a metaphor for what's happening in the Islamic world.

"Islam or the Quran can be used for good or for bad," he said, adding that when either are misused, people blame the Quran, "when in fact they should be blaming the person interpreting the Quran".

The book’s title might sound neutral to non-Muslims; but it holds a great meaning to Muslims as it’s about 99 attributes of God in Islam, which the superheroes supposedly possess.

The powers are driven from mystical gemstones originating from 13th-century Baghdad, and infused with lost ancient knowledge.

It’s not about weapons in this comic book as the heroes do not use arms and work in teams of three, each coming from a different country to give the perception that Islam is everywhere.

Al Mutawa explained that like all comic books the struggle is between the good and the evil with a little realistic side kept since superheroes are attracted to the evil side sometimes.

Even though there is a huge Islamic background that affects the comic book, Al Mutawa denies that there is anything “overtly Islamic” in it. The main messages of the series is the value of teamwork and importance of tolerance. “They are as religious as Spiderman," Al Mutawa said. "There's no mention of prayers or prophets, none of that."

The comic book is currently being sold in the global market including Kuwait and the U.A.E and is doing as well as Spiderman, which should be great news for Al Mutawa and his co-writer Fabian Nicieza.

According to the AFP, the book will hit the U.S. stands this month, followed by Malaysia next year, while Al Mutawa is in talks with publishers in Turkey and France.

Yudha Kartohadiprodjo, general manager of "The 99's" Indonesian license holder Femina Group, believes the book would attract many Muslims. He says 25,000 copies are already being sold in the market for USD 2 each, adding that a few national newspapers are considering printing extracts.

"In the market today there are no contemporary comics based on Islamic values," he said. "The creator understands Islamic history, and that's important for this Islamic-based story."