RIYADH, 27 January 2005 — Muslim children from the Gulf states, the UK and Australia now have something new to look forward to: An English-language comic book for kids, described as the first of its kind in the Arab world.
Published from Sweden but edited from Riyadh, Qkids, according to editor-in-chief, Fahd F. Al-Hajji, is different from other children’s magazines in terms of its content and style.
“We have short stories, comics and articles. What makes our publication distinctive is the Islamic content of the magazine while at the same time making it informative and entertaining,” Al-Hajji said.
Launched in Riyadh recently, the list of subscribers has been snowballing.
“The aim of this Saudi-Swedish educational project is to wean Muslim children away from satellite TV and expose them to Islamic views,” Al-Hajji told Arab News.
He said that in line with their objectives they have assembled a creative team of writers and illustrators in Riyadh.
“The whole project has been designed and implemented in Riyadh as part of our effort to provide light reading for the kids,” he explained.
Muslim children, he notes, generally lack a reading habit. They remain glued to television which is an unhealthy influence on them.
“There is so much violence and sex in the satellite TV programs. This is weakening their moral foundation. Our project is designed to fill the moral vacuum and develop their character.”
The magazine has comic strips that convey a subtle message that evil does not pay. It has puzzles and short stories, too, with a moral content. “The idea is to teach kids how they should behave in a classroom and conduct themselves as responsible members of the Muslim society,” the editor-in-chief said.
And to inculcate Islamic values, one of the issues features a short article on Bilal ibn Rabah, an Abyssinian (present-day Ethiopia) slave who later embraced Islam and became a renowned mouezzin (caller to prayer) during the time of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
Written in a simple and lucid style, it teaches young readers how Bilal remained steadfast in his Islamic faith even when he was tortured for renouncing paganism.
Of their future plans, Al-Hajji said one of them is to have animated cartoons in a CD format. “In spite of the lack of publicity, we find the response encouraging. There will be many more surprises in store for our readers,” he added.
