The resistance to this whole project within the Muslim world, while not entirely shocking, took me somewhat aback once I thought of all the Christian-themed media produced by people within the U.S. My impression is that there is a far greater tradition in the Christian world in general as concerns the co-opting (For lack of a better, more neutral, term) of secular/"pagan" culture to reflect Christian themes/stories. I could mention Christian rock music, comic books, etc. produced in the modern day, but I could just as easily reference John Milton's Paradise Lost, which is effectively an interpretation of the story of (parts of) Genesis told through the format of the Greco-Roman epic poem. I've observed that Islam tends to disapprove of/shy away from change, feeling any potential deviations from scripture to be defiance of God. The absoluteness of Allah's will entails that there necessarily must be one "right" way of following it, and I feel Naif is correct in arguing that, in any religion, some appoint themselves the mouthpieces of divine will. I certainly found that true as a child, for while Christians tend to not mind Christianity-based fiction that spreads a positive message about Christianity, they certainly do not fear censorship or narrow-minded rejection of foreign things. For example, the series Harry Potter was reviled by my fundamentalist father, who had no knowledge of it outside of the fact that Harry was a "sorcerer". Never mind the countless Disney films he himself must have enjoyed as a child that involve witches and wizards… In the face of the negative backlash, I found it interesting that Naif chose to place the backstory’s beginning around the destruction of a library. Centuries of accumulated knowledge can be destroyed in a single night by an unthinking, self-interested horde. Having no religion myself, I always esteem more those who can bear criticism of their own beliefs and tolerate those of others. A true believer, paradoxically, must always question, as this is the only way of confirming one’s faith and greatening one’s understanding of it.
Wham Bam Islam was an interesting documentary. I really liked the idea that Naif had. It was different. Make a comic book full of superheroes for the Muslims. I also really liked this idea because it was targeted for the children. They are our future, so if we can change their perspectives, so that they are possibly different than their parents, we could maybe see some progress with how Muslims are portrayed. I also liked this idea because although it tackled a major issue, and it was political, the actual comic was not. It was simple. One thing that Tyler pointed out to be during the movie that she found interesting and that I did too once I noticed it was that when the comic was turned into the tv series and at the end of the movie Naif and his children were watching it, the characters almost looked as if they were white. In the comic they had darker, more realistic complexion. In the tv series it changed. I wonder why they did that. Maybe to show that Muslims are similar and not so different? But if that is the reason, I do not like it. Why must we change the skin color of characters in order to get across the point that they are not so different to us? That to me does not seem right. It seems very wrong. Overall I really liked the documentary and the whole idea behind it. It was innovative and definitely took a different approach to showing the world what Muslims are all about.
I thought the documentary was extremely interesting. It opened my eyes to realize that I have seen characters in comics and cartoons from America, China, Japan, India, Africa, etc. Not once have I ever seen or read about a cartoon character who was Muslim and Arab. I think the man who came up with the concept of "99" was very brave and confident in what he believed and that was "it is time for a change." I still do not know very much about the Middle East but I had no idea religion carried over into what is shown on television and what can be sold in stores. One thing that really stood out to me was when America was going to turn the comic into a television show. Pretty much all of the characters in the comic book had brown skin. When the characters were shown on the show, they were very light and basically looked like white Americans. Now, I have seen Indians on cartoons, like Johnny Quest and Captain America. On each show there was one kid from India and they both had brown skin. I thought the changing of their skin color was very strange. It saddened me that America canceled the show before it aired. That makes me wonder if America secretly has some sort of negative feelings toward the Arab world and they do not want the American people to see them in a positive light. Hopefully the comic book will take off and someone will realize that it is a very creative idea and it will be sold and shown here in the U.S.
I like what Naif is doing. Comic books are a good way to reach children and to talk to them in other ways in which adults might not be able to reach. Naif provides a different perspective of Islam & the Qur'an which was not present in the world. He has the ability to reach many childrens minds subconsciously and stop them from growing into the radical, stereotypical people which are often portrayed by the media. His aim is to counter the growing tide of political and religious extremism. The lightening of skin was perhaps a way to appeal to a broader audience abroad. Maybe, he wanted to show the world that some Arabic people have lighter skin. He was probably just trying to get people in the western world to start reading his comic book. I like how the comic book preaches tolerance and understanding. You're able to find these virtuous characteristics in every religion. Also, Naif may not be a powerful hero like in his comic books but he stands for his beliefs and throughout the film you can certainly see that he believes in his freedom of expression & speech.
I loved watching Wham Bam Islam! It was quite insightful and gave the audience a better understanding of the Arab culture and the religion of Islam. What I appreciated the most was the way Wham Bam Islam was how it portrayed a man who followed his dream. It showed the ups and downs of this man's struggle to change the heroes of young children in the Islamic community and the world and I am glad to see that the 99 is a success. Wham Bam Islam! shows that it doesn't necessarily take super heroes to change the world, all it takes is a person who is willing to try.
Wham Bam Islam was a great documentary in my opinion. The best film I have seen this year. The struggle that the creator of The 99 was more than just financial. His dream clashed with the ideals of the conservative population. In some ways the documentary frustrated me. I believe that ultra conservative religious dogma, Christian or Muslim, is the root of much conflict and the only way to achieve true progress is to lay down such restrictive ideals. In time I feel that the Muslim world as a whole will achieve tolerance. The alternative, extremism, will only result in further bloodshed and eventually open warfare.
I was surprised at how much I liked the movie, since I’ve never been big into comics. It was cool to see the transition from the first idea to the finished piece and Naif’s ups and downs with his struggle to follow his dreams. He really did have a great idea; Arabic children need to look up to people that they can relate to. Before that all they had were Superman and Spiderman. It was no surprise that there was a struggle for it to be accepted, since no human should be equal to Allah and they comics made it out that way. In the end, his fighting and determination paid off. I will definitely have to research the comics and see how the media adapts to it and if the tv show will ever be accepted to play in the United States.
I agree with Sandra, I've been much into comic books but everybody loves superheros. It sad that people associate Arabs with terrorists and suicide bombers without much hesitation. I commend Naif's attempt to change this stereotype and give Arab children a real role model. I understand both sides to this argument of the 99 offending Allah and what Islam beliefs and teaches. This is such a taboo subject but I like how Nafi is covering all his assets. His word play may not seem as much but one word out of place he could offend someone. I ran into that same problem when I faced the language barrier in Jordan. I really like the backstory of the 99. Dipping the stones into the river to absorb all the knowledge is just brilliant. Kids associate more with these characters especially if they share the same name or attributes of Allah. I think this series will be successful and will stir into brighter ideas. I would like this tv series to take off, especially if the Ben 10 creators make it, but the characters looked more western than eastern design. This is a great story that will revolutionize and give children hope in Arab nations. The support of DC, Marvel and the president leads me to belief that the future is bright for this company. Naif has taken a risk that has paid off and will lead peace in the middle east.
Honestly, I am not a big fan of documentaries or of comic books but I can say that I enjoyed watching this one. The stereotypes that are associated with Arabs is something that shouldn’t be an issue, but then again, there shouldn’t be any stereotypes against anyone. This documentary gave children something positive to look at versus all of the negative that is constantly portrayed. This also gives them a chance to admire or emulate someone that is from the same culture they’re from. I think it will be very interesting to see where this goes and how the creators spin everything.
I enjoyed watching this documentary, especially since I had heard of the "99" comics before and were already interested in them. I like his idea of promoting good Muslim values through these comics in an effort to educate them against extremism. I believe that if these books were sold all over America, then some of the fear of Muslims in this country would disappear. I was disappointed at the end of the documentary when it mentioned the animated TV series would not aired in America because people were afraid that it was a form of indoctrination. I don't see how they could be afraid of Muslim indoctrination through this one show. It makes me think of all the Christmas and Easter specials that are shown on TV every year that promote Christian beliefs. I don't see why a show about the characteristics of a good Muslim is so frightening. I enjoy reading comic books, so I myself would like to read this series and in the future I would like to show them to my children so that they will know the true ideals of Islam instead of the harmful things portrayed by other forms of media.
I found this to be a very well done and interesting documentary. I thought the concept of creating action heros of comic books in the islamic world that would rival superman and other western character, yet also teach the children about aspects of Islam is a very great and cool concept. I can see why it was hard for him to get the concept to take off in some conservative countries such as Saudi Arabia due to the sensitivity of the religion. I feel that his thought that children in the Islamic world need new role models other than suicide bombers and the like is a very reasonable thought. I really enjoyed the movie and think that all people should watch it in order to gain a better understanding of the region, religion, and the people in it. It is one of my favorite movies so far.
This movie was better than I expected. Like others have said, I am not very interested in comic books or any movies that are made off of a comic book series. But this one was pretty interesting! It shows the everyday problems that the main character had when trying to introduce Muslim super heroes to the West. There are a lot of stereotypes that come along with the West and its culture. I like how the movie showed how the main character overcame those problems and obstacles to portray his heroes as real heroes. I also agree with Brennan, above me, when he says that he agreed with his thought about who children in the Arab world need to look up to. The world portrays Arabs as terrorists, and that isn't true and shouldn't be taught to the children.
This movie was better than I expected. Like others have said, I am not very interested in comic books or any movies that are made off of a comic book series. But this one was pretty interesting! It shows the everyday problems that the main character had when trying to introduce Muslim super heroes to the West. There are a lot of stereotypes that come along with the West and its culture. I like how the movie showed how the main character overcame those problems and obstacles to portray his heroes as real heroes. I also agree with Brennan, above me, when he says that he agreed with his thought about who children in the Arab world need to look up to. The world portrays Arabs as terrorists, and that isn't true and shouldn't be taught to the children.
Wham, Bam, Islam was a very interesting documentary. I thought it was interesting to see how different people and different countries responded to the comic book The 99. It seems like a good way to educate everyone, in the Muslim society and throughout the world, about the meaning and values of Islam through superheros. It was neat to see how much it has spread throughout the Middle East and Africa. I would really like to see it come here to America.
Wham, Bam, Islam was a very interesting and informative video. It showed the real struggles that this gentleman was faced with as he tried inspire and promote his comic series using the 99 names of Allah for the names of his superheros. I like what he was trying to and I felt bad for him at certain parts of the video. Towards the end though, it was obvious that he would not take no for an answer and that his persistence and his faith in God would ensure his success. He ran into alot of opposition and I am sure he still does today but he is fulfilling his dream and he's an inspiration to me to follow my dreams. His comics are being sold all over the world and he's gone from virtually a nobody to a key player in the comic book industry.
The resistance to this whole project within the Muslim world, while not entirely shocking, took me somewhat aback once I thought of all the Christian-themed media produced by people within the U.S. My impression is that there is a far greater tradition in the Christian world in general as concerns the co-opting (For lack of a better, more neutral, term) of secular/"pagan" culture to reflect Christian themes/stories. I could mention Christian rock music, comic books, etc. produced in the modern day, but I could just as easily reference John Milton's Paradise Lost, which is effectively an interpretation of the story of (parts of) Genesis told through the format of the Greco-Roman epic poem.
ReplyDeleteI've observed that Islam tends to disapprove of/shy away from change, feeling any potential deviations from scripture to be defiance of God. The absoluteness of Allah's will entails that there necessarily must be one "right" way of following it, and I feel Naif is correct in arguing that, in any religion, some appoint themselves the mouthpieces of divine will. I certainly found that true as a child, for while Christians tend to not mind Christianity-based fiction that spreads a positive message about Christianity, they certainly do not fear censorship or narrow-minded rejection of foreign things. For example, the series Harry Potter was reviled by my fundamentalist father, who had no knowledge of it outside of the fact that Harry was a "sorcerer". Never mind the countless Disney films he himself must have enjoyed as a child that involve witches and wizards…
In the face of the negative backlash, I found it interesting that Naif chose to place the backstory’s beginning around the destruction of a library. Centuries of accumulated knowledge can be destroyed in a single night by an unthinking, self-interested horde. Having no religion myself, I always esteem more those who can bear criticism of their own beliefs and tolerate those of others. A true believer, paradoxically, must always question, as this is the only way of confirming one’s faith and greatening one’s understanding of it.
Darby Galler
ReplyDeleteArabic 1001
Wham Bam Islam was an interesting documentary. I really liked the idea that Naif had. It was different. Make a comic book full of superheroes for the Muslims. I also really liked this idea because it was targeted for the children. They are our future, so if we can change their perspectives, so that they are possibly different than their parents, we could maybe see some progress with how Muslims are portrayed. I also liked this idea because although it tackled a major issue, and it was political, the actual comic was not. It was simple. One thing that Tyler pointed out to be during the movie that she found interesting and that I did too once I noticed it was that when the comic was turned into the tv series and at the end of the movie Naif and his children were watching it, the characters almost looked as if they were white. In the comic they had darker, more realistic complexion. In the tv series it changed. I wonder why they did that. Maybe to show that Muslims are similar and not so different? But if that is the reason, I do not like it. Why must we change the skin color of characters in order to get across the point that they are not so different to us? That to me does not seem right. It seems very wrong. Overall I really liked the documentary and the whole idea behind it. It was innovative and definitely took a different approach to showing the world what Muslims are all about.
I thought the documentary was extremely interesting. It opened my eyes to realize that I have seen characters in comics and cartoons from America, China, Japan, India, Africa, etc. Not once have I ever seen or read about a cartoon character who was Muslim and Arab. I think the man who came up with the concept of "99" was very brave and confident in what he believed and that was "it is time for a change." I still do not know very much about the Middle East but I had no idea religion carried over into what is shown on television and what can be sold in stores. One thing that really stood out to me was when America was going to turn the comic into a television show. Pretty much all of the characters in the comic book had brown skin. When the characters were shown on the show, they were very light and basically looked like white Americans. Now, I have seen Indians on cartoons, like Johnny Quest and Captain America. On each show there was one kid from India and they both had brown skin. I thought the changing of their skin color was very strange. It saddened me that America canceled the show before it aired. That makes me wonder if America secretly has some sort of negative feelings toward the Arab world and they do not want the American people to see them in a positive light. Hopefully the comic book will take off and someone will realize that it is a very creative idea and it will be sold and shown here in the U.S.
ReplyDeleteJeramie Thurston
ReplyDeleteI like what Naif is doing. Comic books are a good way to reach children and to talk to them in other ways in which adults might not be able to reach. Naif provides a different perspective of Islam & the Qur'an which was not present in the world. He has the ability to reach many childrens minds subconsciously and stop them from growing into the radical, stereotypical people which are often portrayed by the media. His aim is to counter the growing tide of political and religious extremism. The lightening of skin was perhaps a way to appeal to a broader audience abroad. Maybe, he wanted to show the world that some Arabic people have lighter skin. He was probably just trying to get people in the western world to start reading his comic book. I like how the comic book preaches tolerance and understanding. You're able to find these virtuous characteristics in every religion. Also, Naif may not be a powerful hero like in his comic books but he stands for his beliefs and throughout the film you can certainly see that he believes in his freedom of expression & speech.
I loved watching Wham Bam Islam! It was quite insightful and gave the audience a better understanding of the Arab culture and the religion of Islam. What I appreciated the most was the way Wham Bam Islam was how it portrayed a man who followed his dream. It showed the ups and downs of this man's struggle to change the heroes of young children in the Islamic community and the world and I am glad to see that the 99 is a success. Wham Bam Islam! shows that it doesn't necessarily take super heroes to change the world, all it takes is a person who is willing to try.
ReplyDeleteWham Bam Islam was a great documentary in my opinion. The best film I have seen this year. The struggle that the creator of The 99 was more than just financial. His dream clashed with the ideals of the conservative population. In some ways the documentary frustrated me. I believe that ultra conservative religious dogma, Christian or Muslim, is the root of much conflict and the only way to achieve true progress is to lay down such restrictive ideals. In time I feel that the Muslim world as a whole will achieve tolerance. The alternative, extremism, will only result in further bloodshed and eventually open warfare.
ReplyDeleteJohn D Howard
Arabic 2002
Sandra Hendow
ReplyDeleteArabic 1001
I was surprised at how much I liked the movie, since I’ve never been big into comics. It was cool to see the transition from the first idea to the finished piece and Naif’s ups and downs with his struggle to follow his dreams. He really did have a great idea; Arabic children need to look up to people that they can relate to. Before that all they had were Superman and Spiderman. It was no surprise that there was a struggle for it to be accepted, since no human should be equal to Allah and they comics made it out that way. In the end, his fighting and determination paid off. I will definitely have to research the comics and see how the media adapts to it and if the tv show will ever be accepted to play in the United States.
ARAB 1101
ReplyDeleteAaron Ward
I agree with Sandra, I've been much into comic books but everybody loves superheros. It sad that people associate Arabs with terrorists and suicide bombers without much hesitation. I commend Naif's attempt to change this stereotype and give Arab children a real role model. I understand both sides to this argument of the 99 offending Allah and what Islam beliefs and teaches. This is such a taboo subject but I like how Nafi is covering all his assets. His word play may not seem as much but one word out of place he could offend someone. I ran into that same problem when I faced the language barrier in Jordan. I really like the backstory of the 99. Dipping the stones into the river to absorb all the knowledge is just brilliant. Kids associate more with these characters especially if they share the same name or attributes of Allah. I think this series will be successful and will stir into brighter ideas. I would like this tv series to take off, especially if the Ben 10 creators make it, but the characters looked more western than eastern design. This is a great story that will revolutionize and give children hope in Arab nations. The support of DC, Marvel and the president leads me to belief that the future is bright for this company. Naif has taken a risk that has paid off and will lead peace in the middle east.
Kelsey Henderson
ReplyDeleteArabic 1101
Honestly, I am not a big fan of documentaries or of comic books but I can say that I enjoyed watching this one. The stereotypes that are associated with Arabs is something that shouldn’t be an issue, but then again, there shouldn’t be any stereotypes against anyone. This documentary gave children something positive to look at versus all of the negative that is constantly portrayed. This also gives them a chance to admire or emulate someone that is from the same culture they’re from. I think it will be very interesting to see where this goes and how the creators spin everything.
I enjoyed watching this documentary, especially since I had heard of the "99" comics before and were already interested in them. I like his idea of promoting good Muslim values through these comics in an effort to educate them against extremism. I believe that if these books were sold all over America, then some of the fear of Muslims in this country would disappear. I was disappointed at the end of the documentary when it mentioned the animated TV series would not aired in America because people were afraid that it was a form of indoctrination. I don't see how they could be afraid of Muslim indoctrination through this one show. It makes me think of all the Christmas and Easter specials that are shown on TV every year that promote Christian beliefs. I don't see why a show about the characteristics of a good Muslim is so frightening. I enjoy reading comic books, so I myself would like to read this series and in the future I would like to show them to my children so that they will know the true ideals of Islam instead of the harmful things portrayed by other forms of media.
ReplyDeleteVictoria Crane
Arabic 2002
I found this to be a very well done and interesting documentary. I thought the concept of creating action heros of comic books in the islamic world that would rival superman and other western character, yet also teach the children about aspects of Islam is a very great and cool concept. I can see why it was hard for him to get the concept to take off in some conservative countries such as Saudi Arabia due to the sensitivity of the religion. I feel that his thought that children in the Islamic world need new role models other than suicide bombers and the like is a very reasonable thought. I really enjoyed the movie and think that all people should watch it in order to gain a better understanding of the region, religion, and the people in it. It is one of my favorite movies so far.
ReplyDeleteBrennan Patrick
Arabic 1002
This movie was better than I expected. Like others have said, I am not very interested in comic books or any movies that are made off of a comic book series. But this one was pretty interesting! It shows the everyday problems that the main character had when trying to introduce Muslim super heroes to the West. There are a lot of stereotypes that come along with the West and its culture. I like how the movie showed how the main character overcame those problems and obstacles to portray his heroes as real heroes. I also agree with Brennan, above me, when he says that he agreed with his thought about who children in the Arab world need to look up to. The world portrays Arabs as terrorists, and that isn't true and shouldn't be taught to the children.
ReplyDeleteMelanie Steinke
ARAB 1001
This movie was better than I expected. Like others have said, I am not very interested in comic books or any movies that are made off of a comic book series. But this one was pretty interesting! It shows the everyday problems that the main character had when trying to introduce Muslim super heroes to the West. There are a lot of stereotypes that come along with the West and its culture. I like how the movie showed how the main character overcame those problems and obstacles to portray his heroes as real heroes. I also agree with Brennan, above me, when he says that he agreed with his thought about who children in the Arab world need to look up to. The world portrays Arabs as terrorists, and that isn't true and shouldn't be taught to the children.
ReplyDeleteMelanie Steinke
ARAB 1001
Wham, Bam, Islam was a very interesting documentary. I thought it was interesting to see how different people and different countries responded to the comic book The 99. It seems like a good way to educate everyone, in the Muslim society and throughout the world, about the meaning and values of Islam through superheros. It was neat to see how much it has spread throughout the Middle East and Africa. I would really like to see it come here to America.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth Gunnels
Arabic 1002
Wham, Bam, Islam was a very interesting and informative video. It showed the real struggles that this gentleman was faced with as he tried inspire and promote his comic series using the 99 names of Allah for the names of his superheros. I like what he was trying to and I felt bad for him at certain parts of the video. Towards the end though, it was obvious that he would not take no for an answer and that his persistence and his faith in God would ensure his success. He ran into alot of opposition and I am sure he still does today but he is fulfilling his dream and he's an inspiration to me to follow my dreams. His comics are being sold all over the world and he's gone from virtually a nobody to a key player in the comic book industry.
ReplyDeleteAbdullah Horne
Arabic 1002