Arabian Manga(stan) – Arab comics and Islamic 'culture'

by Duniazad (Libya)

Nathaniel Naddaf-Hafrey wonders: Can Comics Change the Arab World?

“I went back to my Arab heritage to draw from its design calligraphy, myths and legends, I tried to incorporate them all into the character. Manga usually features Japanese culture, and I wanted to introduce some Arabian mysticism to the market.”

Asia Alfasi has taken part in (and won) local and international competitions, landed a contract with Harry Potter’s publishers, and is being celebrated as a “cool muslim” icon.

Apparently she was the the first female participant on Hi8us competition, which I thought was interesting.

Jazeera had a Japan season quite a while back, and one of Fadi Salama’s reports was about the predominance of female manga artists, despite the ‘machismo‘ of much of what they produced…

Anyway, Asia’s achievements are just WONDERFUL, especially in light of her being a Libyan @_@

BUT (being nitpicking me) I’ve got… issues with cartoons based on Islamic ‘culture’

This petty-peeve is actually about a completely different person, a Kuwaiti guy who created the 99 and recently featured on Witness. First off he did the whole revolutionary “first comic based on Islamic culture” thing, which is simply untrue.

My experience would confirm the Fulla-hype for example, in that none of my cousins whine for a Barbie doll/bag/skipping rope – in fact I haven’t heard anyone mention Barbie at all since the alternative hit the shelves…and the satellite channels.

But the 99 is more of an addition. It competes with Western imports like Majalit Mickey, and with 3ala’idin and Samir and the gazillion other Arabic comics I grew up reading in the 90s.

So basically the documentary gave me the impression (rightly or wrongly) that this Naif Al-Mutawa person was self importance on steroids personified. Also obnoxious was the way he kept re-repeating the “comic based on Islamic culture which is NOTHING to do with religion” line, like he was afraid of being shoved into some CIA dungeon unless he transformed his dark materials into something as palatable as Tan’s sugar-sister-hooded Chinatown.

About the characters:”there’s nothing fundamentally Islamic or non-Islamic about them”

Asked about a muhajaba he says “well is that Islamic, or is that just part of being human?” (yep, he actually used those words) “nuns dress like that, and some orthodox Jews cover their hair or wear wigs ”

Which is true, but doesn’t alter the fact that the character is a muslim girl wearing a hijab. And that shouldn’t be too bitter a pill to swallow unless sugar coated.

Except if your from the Planet of the Chimps, whose comments on Mangastanis include:

Invocations to the Spartan 300:

There is nothing like the spectacle of defenders of Western Civilization slaughtering tyrannical Persian invaders…

And various ever-so-original suggestions for FUNdamental characters, prefaced by the observation that it was “Sad how these kids are brought up as if terrorist were heroes”

More puzzling was this complaint:

Once again, proof positive that Muslims are completely incapable of original thought or idea. They copy EVERYTHING from the culture that they so despise, sprinkle large helpings of Islam all over it…

Bush’s endless WWII and Cold War analogies had left me with the distinct impression that we were supposed to copy-cat…

Somebody had a somewhat similar reaction:

I actually like this idea. Assuming these Superheroes are really “Good” guys and fairly Western, and aren’t like roaming the globe, forcing conversions to Islam, beating women, and cutting off infidel’s heads, killing Jews, then I think it would be good role models for muslim youth. It would give them something to look up to, and perhaps keep them out of the madrasas… maybe.. well, one can hope..

Despite the long string of ifs and buts, and the implications of “really ‘Good’ guys and fairly Western”, in it’s contextI suppose the above exemplifies tolerance, multiculturalism and all that zift.

AT A LATER DATE: closer inspection reveals the ABC article they’re commenting on (which managed to get the “intricate backstory”wrong) mentions a FATWA!!! Make way for Sir Naif Al-Mutawa…