RIYADH: The first modern Arab comic, “The 99,” created by Kuwaiti psychiatrist Dr. Naif Al-Mutawa and featuring a team of superheroes with special abilities based on the 99 attributes of God, was published by Teshkeel Comics in October 2010.
Al-Mutawa was not the first to create superheroes in this way. A number of modern superheroes are based on Greek and Norse mythological figures such as Heracles and Thor while others are built on action heroes gifted with special powers such as Superman or Batman.
The characters in “The 99” include Dr. Ramzi, a scholar and social activist, and the 99 youngsters with special abilities given to them by the “Noor” gemstones, which were lost during the Mongolian invasion of Baghdad.
The evil characters are led by the power-hungry Rughal, who tries to steal the power of the Noor stones for himself. The storyline shows the 99 characters led by Dr. Ramzi in pursuit of social justice and peace against the forces of evil.
The adaptation of superheroes in Arab culture is considered by many to be modest, apart from a few examples such as “One Thousand and One Nights,” “Sinbad the Sailor” and “Aladdin,” which had the usual stereotypes of turban-wearing Arabs riding camels and fighting with curved swords.
In spite of this stereotyping in the entertainment industry, Arabs and Muslims do exist in American comics as superheroes, such as Kamala Khan, who is a Pakistani American superhero known as “Ms. Marvel,” Simon Baz, the Lebanese American who becomes the first Arab member of the Green Lantern Corps, and Sooraya Qadir (Dust), a mutant from Afghanistan who becomes a member of the X-Men.
The rise of the Arab superhero — It all started with ‘The 99’
The rise of the Arab superhero — It all started with ‘The 99’
Saudi mine-clearance project in Yemen destroys 4,235 explosive devices in a day
- Project Masam aims to rid Yemen of all mines to help ensure the highest standards of safety and security for the Yemeni people
LONDON: Saudi Arabia’s Project Masam cleared 4,235 mines, unexploded ordnance and other explosive devices in a single day from Bab Al-Mandab region in southwestern Yemen, as part of its mission to protect civilians.
Osama Al-Gosaibi, the project’s director general, said it aims to rid Yemen of all mines to help ensure the highest standards of safety and security for the Yemeni people.
On Wednesday, the project’s teams destroyed 33 anti-tank mines, 31 anti-personnel mines, 86 miscellaneous shells, 2,750 assorted rounds, 1,291 breakers and valves used in devices, 12 grenades, two Katyusha rockets, a missile, 15 shell arrows, and 14 other explosive devices.
Masam’s teams are tasked with clearing villages, roads and areas around schools to facilitate the safe movement of civilians and delivery of humanitarian aid.
The project trains local people to become demining engineers, provides them with modern equipment to do the job, and also offers support to Yemenis injured by explosive devices.
