Arab Heroines
- Hoa Nguyen
- Nov 10, 2017
- 6 min read
KAMALA KHAN (MS. MARVEL): Created by G. Willow Wilson, Sana Amanat, and Adrian Alphona, Kamala Khan is a Pakastani American superhero known as the current “Ms. Marvel.” Hailing from Jersey City, she is the daughter of immigrant parents and balances her hero work with her schoolwork and personal life. Part of that personal life involves practicing her Muslim faith with her friends and family, which occasionally helps with her superhero antics. In one instance, the head of the family mosque, Sheikh Abdullah, gives her good advice about her attempts to be a hero without knowing about her powers. The most powerful aspect of her cultural ties comes from Kamala Khan’s own superhero costume, which she made herself using a burkini her mother bought for her. Through the burkini, Kamala Khan could claim the mantle of Ms. Marvel as her own after realizing that she doesn’t have to imitate her idol Carol Danvers, the former Ms. Marvel.
SIMON BAZ (GREEN LANTERN): Simon Baz is a Lebanese American who becomes the first Muslim member of the Green Lantern Corps. Simon’s Lebanese heritage was inspired by Geoff Johns, who is half Lebanese and the co-creator of the character alongside artist Doug Mahnke. Growing up, Baz is persecuted for his ethnicity in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. As a young adult, he is chosen to become a Green Lantern after attempting to save lives by driving a stolen car into an abandoned car factory after discovering it was filled with explosives. Since then, he has helped defeat the Third Army and the First Lantern. Upon becoming a member of the Justice League, his criminal charges are dropped and his innocence publicly declared. His most recent comic book appearance is in the comic book series “Green Lanterns,” where he is seen working alongside fellow Green Lantern Jessica Cruz on planet Earth as part of their training.
SOORAYA QADIR: Soorayah Qadir is another mutant who becomes a member of the X-Men. Originally born in Afghanistan, she discovers she has the power to turn into a sand-like substance after attacking a slave trader who tried to remove her niqab (the facial part of the clothing known as the abaya). She is taken to the X-Corps base in India, where she initially turns into sand to hide from the X-Men stationed there. Jean Grey senses her presence and telepathically convinces her to reveal herself.
When Soorayah reforms, she announces herself with the word “Turaab,” an Arabic word that means dust. The word stuck and from then on, her teammates would call her by the codename “Dust.” Soorayah would go on to become a part of a few X-Men teams, including the Hellion Squad of the “New X-Men” comic series and Cyclop’s squad of “Young X-Men.” Soorayah chooses to wear traditional Islamic clothing out of modesty. Although this causes friction between the X-Men and their enemies, her faith has enabled her to survive tough battles.
MONICA CHANG: Most people associate the name Black Widow with Natasha Romanoff, but there are also others who have taken up the mantle. One of them is Monica Chang, who became Black Widow in the Ultimate Marvel Universe and is also the ex-wife of Nick Fury. She had one child with Nick named Julius Chang. As Black Widow, she worked with the Avengers in order to recapture Captain America and also fight the Red Skull. She also captures and recruits the Punisher into The Avengers.
After being transferred into The New Ultimates, she became the new director of S.H.I.E.L.D. and assists Jessica Drew, who took on the name Black Widow for herself. In Marvel’s mainstream universe, Monica Chang appears in the series “Avengers A.I.”, where she is the head of the head of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s A.I. division. Alongside Henry Pym, a Doombot, Victor Mancha, and Vision, she fights against an artificial intelligence threat named Dimitrios. It is in this series that it is revealed that she is Muslim.
KAHINA ESKANDARI (IRON BUTTERFLY): Originally created by Milestone Comics and later integrated into the DC Universe, Kahina Eskandari is a Palestinian with the ability to move and shape metal and metallic objects. In fact, her codename Iron Butterfly comes from the awesome medieval style plate armor she wears into battle, which comes with huge angel wings that allow her to fly by levitating herself. While she is a corporate translator by day, by night she is the field commander of the Shadow Cabinet, a crew of crime-fighters in Dakota.
MARJANE SATRAPI: The English version of Marjane Satrapi’s “Persepolis” consists of two autographical graphic novels
that illustrate the author’s coming-of-age experiences amid the Islamic revolution in Iran. The title refers to the ancient capital of the Persian Empire, Persepolis. With a child and an adult narrator, the book tackles politics and oppression through the intertwined lens of religion, gender, and class. Amid everything, the author struggles to figure out who she is and what she stands for by learning about her family’s heritage and the world around her. Since its publication, the graphic novel has been translated into many languages and praised in Western countries. In 2010, Newsweek put the book on its list of 10 best non-fiction books of the decade. The book has also been banned, making the American Library Association’s list of frequently challenged books in 2014. In 2007, the book was made into an animated film that won the Jury Prize at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival.
QAHERA: Qahera, whose name means “Cairo” as well as “conqueror” or “vanquisher” in Arabic, is not a superhero to mess with. She hates being sexually harassed and will hang you from a clothesline if you try it with her or any other women. As Egypt’s Muslim superhero, she wears a veil and battles misogyny with a sword, fighting abilities and a quick and funny wit. She is the brainchild of Egyptian artist Deena Mohamed, who was inspired by the real-life sexual harassment and white savior ideologies that Egyptian women experience every day. Qahera’s exploits are told in a series of comic strips that have been posted online as a webcomic. One of the first issues features Qahera rescuing a woman who is constantly harassed by guys on the street. After promising to help the woman testify against the men, she literally pins the guys to the wall and sprays a message for the cops that reads, “Police, these men are perverts.”
SHAHARA HASAN: Published in 2014 by Vertigo Comics, “Bodies” is an intricate miniseries about a murder mystery that occurs in four different time periods with four different London detectives. One of those detectives is Shahara Hasan, a young woman who becomes involved with xenophobic protesters after being told to investigate the murder. Taking place in present day London, her side of the comics deals with Islamophobia and anti-Muslim attitudes even as the plot thickens with the mystery of the body. Detective Shahara is a good person dealing with a lot of bad stuff. She is conflicted about her role as a police officer, invested in her culture and worried about her family being threatened by anti-Muslim people. On top of that, she is attempting to solve a case that makes no sense. By using humor and her brain, she manages to do what she needs to do her job and survive, and that makes her a notable and relatable character.
Iman: is a young, heroic Muslim teenaged girl who loves to help those who are in trouble. She has very strong faith in Allah, or God, and when she prays for His help she feels her strength turn into super power! Iman can tell right from wrong, and she always quotes the Quran to explain to others that Islam is a great religion that expects Muslims to be tolerant, kind, righteous, and non-judgmental. Iman is the first Muslim girl superhero from a fictional book series The Adventures of Iman based on the main character Iman. The first book of the series has been titled As One. Iman makes sure she covers her hair with pretty pink scarf while she prays to Allah. Iman knows how important and precious it is to have a special bond with Allah. Allah helps anyone who calls His name! ‘Islam’ means peace, not war”, Iman explains to a gang of kids from the book “As One”. Iman always wears a necklace with a pendant inscribed with word “Allah”. When Iman needs Allah’s protection she holds the pendant and says “Bismillah”, which means “in the name of God.” The pendant then turns into a big shield to protect her from any harm. Iman is a girl who is smart, beautiful, athletic, and friendly and most of all her love and belief in Allah is what makes her the special girl she is.
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