'The 99' Muslim superheroes to hit TV screens soon

Dubai, Feb 26 (ANI): As many as 99 Muslim superheroes are set to hit the television screens around the world this summer.

Dana Ebrahim aka Noora, an Emirati superhero has a special gemstone that allows her to see the light of truth in others. The 98 other superheroes will also be gradually introduced in the 'The 99' animated series, which is based on the now-world famous comic books created by Kuwaiti psychologist Nayef Al Mutawa.

With its work complete, the 26-episode first season that introduces 16 of the 99 superheroes, and preparations on for producing the second season, Al Mutawa said that he hoped the books and the show, which use Islamic archetypes, would reposition Islam in right perspective.

"As a psychologist, I usually work with people's perceptions and I am not happy with how Islam sees the West or with how the West sees Islam. I believe in the power of media to change a civilisation and its way of thinking," Gulf News quoted him as saying.

The 99 first entered global imagination in the summer of 2006. Although often sold as a 'Muslim' comic, Al Mutawa was adamant about the fact that the books are secular, especially as they incorporate superheroes from different cultural and religious backgrounds.

"Comics like Superman and Batman, which have no religion in the storyline, are based on Judeo-Christian archetypes mainly because these archetypes lead to good storytelling.

"For example, most superheroes are orphans who receive a calling to do good. For my franchise, I've simply tapped into Islamic archetypes, although like all other comics, these superheroes and the stories told in The 99 are completely secular," he explained.

The tale is set in a factual event that took place in 1258, when the Mongol army destroys the then-affluent city of Baghdad. (ANI)