Have no fear; a new superhero is here! Last February, Marvel Comics announced that it would begin a new series about a Muslim, teenage superhero, Kamala Khan, living in Jersey City. Kamala goes by the alter ego of Ms. Marvel, and her superpower is that she is able to change shape. Kamala’s family is originally from Pakistan, it is Marvel Comics’ hopes to tell Kamala’s story through the lens of a typical Muslim-American teenager.
Masrura Faruque, senior at UIUC and active member of the Muslim Students Association (MSA) weighs in on her thoughts about Ms. Marvel and how this may affect the Muslim community.
HC: Please tell me about your Muslim background.
Masrura Faruque: I was born and raised in a Muslim household. My faith has never been an obstacle in my life. For me, it’s a guide by which I live my life. My family is involved with the local mosque in Champaign-Urbana and we are regular attendees. After coming to college, I became involved in the Muslim Students Association (MSA) and I am still an active member. I feel that being a Muslim is one of my stronger identities and plays a major role in my daily life.
HC: When you were younger, was there a superhero that you could relate to?
MF: I never related to a particular superhero when I was younger, but overall I always looked up to them for the same reasons anyone would. Superheroes are always the protagonists in most story lines, and they always come in at the last minute and save the day. I feel like that would be inspirational and influential to a lot of children.
HC: Marvel is introducing a new Muslim Girl Superhero. What are your thoughts on this?
MF: I actually heard about this the other day, and thought it was interesting. After reading about it, there are of course some things that I would want to change about the background story to eliminate pre-existing stereotypes about Muslims. I wonder if anyone has ever thought about having a Muslim superhero who comes from a family in which Islam is practiced without ever introducing impressions of people being “too extreme” or “too conservative.” I don’t see other superheroes from “too conservative” Christian or Jewish backgrounds. I don’t think it should be any different for Muslims. I feel that introducing a practicing Muslim superhero without attaching the words “conservative” “strict” or “extreme” would cater to a wider variety of people and more Muslim teens can relate to it as we. It can also help to eliminate the negative stereotypes that the media attaches to Islam and Muslims.
HC: Do you think that superheroes in the past have been encompassing of all cultures? Why/Why not?
MF: I don’t think that superheroes of the past have been very encompassing of all cultures. When we think of a superhero, usually that vision consists of your typical Caucasian or African American superhero that comes in and saves the day. Hardly do people ever picture a Chinese or Indian superhero. They probably hardly ever picture an African American superhero, either. This is probably because of the times in which the comics were created in the 60s when racism was still an issue in this country. Hopefully introducing Kamala Khan will change people’s perspectives of who can be a superhero, and Marvel can continue diversifying their characters in a positive light.
HC: Do you think this new superhero will be good or bad for young girls?
MF: I think some girls will be able to relate to Kamala’s struggles as a teenager, however it might influence them to act a certain way, which could potentially be harmful. Like I mentioned before, superheroes typically come with a positive connotation, and so when girls see some of Kamala’s rebellious actions, they might be influenced to act in the same way because she has this “superhero” label stuck to her.
HC: Do you think this series will be successful?
MF: I hope this series will fight the negative stereotypes that we see in the media about Muslims as well as other religions and race/ethnicities. I think it has potential to succeed; it just has to be executed in the right way.
Sources:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/06/books/marvel-comics-introducing-a-muslim-girl-superhero.html?_r=2&