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BAETH THE SENDER

Real Name: Fadi Hassem
Home Country: Jordan
Age: 18
Height: 173 cm
Weight: 72 kg
Eye Color: Brown
Hair Color: Black
Base of Operation: Jordan
. . .

Bahraini superhero set for comic debut

October 21, 2006

By TARIQ KHONJI
MANAMA

A BAHRAINI superhero will be among the characters in comic books and animation projects by a Kuwait-based media company. Tashkeel Media Group's THE 99 comic book series is about the world's first superhero team based on Islamic culture.

Its superheroes come from countries all over the world, with each of their powers based on one of the 99 attributes of God in Islam, including generosity, strength and foresight.

Creator and co-writer Dr Naif Al Mutawa has already launched the first issue of the series, with more on the way.

He is currently raising funds through Bahrain-based Unicorn Investment Bank, which is acting as an underwriter for the company's expansion into animation projects, based on the same concept.

"There will be a Bahraini superhero, but he or she hasn't been created yet," he said.

"There will be 99 characters from various countries. We won't be able to cover all the countries in the world, but the Gulf will definitely be among them.

"People are free to submit ideas about which of the 99 attributes of God would best represent their country."

Dr Al Mutawa, whose children's books are used in schools throughout the Arab world, says his quest for tolerance and global understanding led him to create THE 99.

"The vast majority of comic books come from either North America or Japan," he said.

"If you look at the North American superheroes like Superman and Batman, all seem to be based at their core on religious mythology, without explicitly saying so.

"Similarly, THE 99 will not be specifically about Islam. There won't be any preaching in it. It will take familiar concepts and present them as if they are something new."

Dr Al Mutawa says that he hopes, through the comics, to change negative views of the religion and also to give children in the Arab world heroes they can relate to.

"Our part of the world lacks modern day heroes," he said.

Unicorn corporate finance senior manager Osman Mian said the bank became involved because the project seemed commercially viable and because it leans towards Islamic values.

"We are underwriting a portion of it because when we assessed the project we believed that it would provide a significant return," he said.

"The underlying Islamic values will also be positive. The religion won't be drilled into children, but hopefully if we present them with a quality comic book that interests them, it will instil some of these values in them."

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