The 99

As a teenager, I loved comic books and read them voraciously. To this day, I recognize their value in getting kids interested in reading and in teaching values. Over the past several years, a man from Kuwait has been producing a comic called "The 99." It has been made into an animated series for kids and is soon to debut it's first Emirati superhero: Noora.

Much like the heroes Batman and Superman, the heroes of The 99 don't promote religion. However, this comic incorporates Middle Eastern historical events and Islamic archetypes. Since all of the comics I read as a kid were produced in the U.S., they tended to reflect the storylines of the archetypes in the States. One such example of this can be found with the aforementioned characters of Batman and Superman being orphans who received a calling to do good.

The creator of the comics stated that his goal, "was not only to promote good values for children worldwide, but also to reduce extremism and promote tolerance." I think this is a tremendous goal and a wonderful way to open the minds of not only the children of the Middle East, and to show the world a more accurate depiction of Muslim ideals.