Tag Archives: islamophobia

Comics scholar and Sacred & Sequential founder A. David Lewis opens up about both the process and the motivation behind his new comic book Kismet, Man of Fate – Volume 1: Boston Strong. The series, which is a modern-day update of the 1940s Muslim superhero, had been delivered in online installments for much of the past year, but it now comes to comic shops in print for the first time this week.

Derek McCaw of Fanboy Planet conducted the new interview with Lewis, who had this to say about Golden Age superheroes like Kismet or the Green Turtle:

[F]or the more liberal-leaning comics creators of the Golden Age, I think there was a fascination with other cultures, even if it was only at the surface level. […] I doubt there was any real thought given to the real-life practitioners or inheritors of this lore, just as I think there was little deference given to Muslims or Asians with Kismet and Green Turtle, respectively. There may be something complimentary in comics creators seeing the potential for this non-Western material to fuel their stories, but it was largely Orientalist and filled with Anglo-centrist presumptuousness.

Lewis teams with artist Noel Tuazon, Rob Croonenborghs, Taylor Esposito of Ghost Glyph Studios, and Kel Nuttal in bringing Kismet back to publication. Publisher A Wave Blue World (AWBW) also secured Heathen‘s Natasha Alterici for the cover art and The Tempest‘s Laila Alawa for the Foreword, with book and logo design by Nicola Black.

It’s Kismet For A. David Lewis

controversy, events

UPDATE: Islamophobic Cartoon Contest Canceled

September 19, 2018 A. David

In June, Sacred and Sequential shared reporting from Reuters that the Freedom Party of the Dutch government had announced a new “free-speech event” centered around creating illustrations of the Islamic Prophet Mohammed. Led by politician Geert Wilders, the contest was to be judged by the 2015 Garland, Texas “Draw Mohammed” contest winner, Bosch Fawstin.

Following a peaceful protest march in Islamabad in late August, reports the Associated Press, the planned contest has been canceled. Wilders is quoted by The Telegraph as saying, “To avoid the risk of victims of Islamic violence, I have decided to not let the cartoon contest go ahead.” InfoWars deemphasizes the impact of the 10,000-strong peaceful march, focusing instead on a video death threat Wilders received.

Fawstin’s Twitter account remains suspended.

controversy, events

Return of Islamophobic Cartoon Contest

June 12, 2018 A. David

Here we go again…

“The Prophet Muhammad is pictured in this Islamic manuscript dated 1539–43. It comes from a royal miniature made to illustrate a copy of the poems of the celebrated Persian Nizami, and depicts the prophet’s ascension to heaven on the horse Buraq.” (Copyright © The British Library Board; courtesy of WBUR)

From Reuters:

The Freedom Party of Dutch anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders will hold a competition of cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammad, it said on Tuesday. The party said the plan to hold the competition in the party’s secure offices in Dutch Parliament had been approved by the Dutch Counter-terrorism Agency NCTV.

If this sounds familiar, it should. There was a “Draw Mohammed” Contest in Garland, TX in 2015, won by Bosch Fawstin who will serve as a judge for this new event. Wilders served as a keynote speaker at that 2015 contest, and two gunmen, claimed by ISIS, were killed on site.

This competition is being billed as a “free speech event,” not unlike the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten‘s own 2005 showcase of Mohammed cartoons, similarly resulting in violence.

On a related note, Twitter recently suspended Fawstin’s account following his posting opposing on Marvel Entertainment’s plans for Muslim superheroine Ms. Marvel. This was the latest in his “multiple or repeat violations of the Twitter Rules.”

Bosch Fawstin's tweet

Islamic culture has a history of respectful images of Mohammed, though that does not in any way seem the goal of Fawstin and Wilders’s insulting affair.

cultural

More Than You Ever Wanted to Know on Black Panther and Religion

February 27, 2018 A. David 1 Comment

Black Panther rules the box office worldwide and is a cultural phenomenon. As such, it’s being viewed from every possible angle and through every available lens. And, to paraphrase Ian Malcolm, the thinkpiecers were so preoccupied with whether they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should.

So, without comment, here is a short sampling of the various ways Black Panther, with its roots in comics, is being applied to the subject of religion, of religious intolerance, censorship, and interfaith relations. Your mileage may vary.

We’ve loosely grouped them below as “Black Panther and…”

…Religion in General

What The Movie ‘Black Panther’ Teaches Us About Religion

‘Where Is Your God Now?’ 3 Religious Objects of Worship in ‘Black Panther’

http://dailycaller.com/2018/02/23/black-panther-is-a-quasi-religious-atonement-for-white-guilt/

…Judaism

Black Panther Is a Jewish Creation

Why ‘Black Panther’ might also be a milestone in black-Jewish relations

http://www.tabletmag.com/scroll/256186/black-panther-is-a-great-zionist-movie

The Defeat of Killmonger in ‘Black Panther’ Holds Lessons for Israel

…Spirituality

Black Panther’s Spirituality Pulls from Reality

Spiritual Reflections on the Black Panther Movie

https://aleteia.org/2018/02/17/is-the-hero-in-black-panther-secretly-spiritual/

African cosmologies: spiritual reflections on the ‘Black Panther’ movie

…Hinduism

http://www.freepressjournal.in/entertainment/black-panther-cbfc-muted-hanuman-reference-due-to-not-hurt-any-kind-of-religious-sentiments/1225555

CBFC Offended by ‘Hanuman’ in Black Panther Is Divine Stupidity

http://indianexpress.com/article/trending/trending-in-india/black-panther-fans-in-india-angry-over-beeping-out-hanuman-reference-twitter-reactions-5073987/

…Islam

Is the Black Panther Islamophobic?

Is Black Panther Islamophobic?

Is Black Panther Islamophobic? A Somali Canadian Perspective

Black Panther Shows Muslims Too Can Escape Tokenism

Black Panther Makes A Nod To The Boko Haram Kidnapping in Nigeria

…Christianity

What “Black Panther” Means for Christians

Four Lessons the Church Can Learns from Black Panther

Clergy’s View on Black Panther

http://www.jesusdaily.com/inspire/black-panther-movie-review-christian-perspective/

‘Black Panther’ and the Longing for Home

At Home in Wakanda

Do it For the Diaspora?: The Moral Question Behind Black Panther

https://crtvchurch.com/why-christians-need-to-see-marvels-black-panther/

https://aleteia.org/2018/02/23/black-panther-star-boldly-proclaims-i-fell-in-love-with-jesus/

Christian actress Sope Aluko says ‘Black Panther’ set felt ‘almost like church’

In several of these cases, the charge could be levied that groups ostensibly unrelated to Black Panther are ‘making it all about them,’ but, in others, there are some legitimate linkages to be made. It says something, though, when so many religious communities want to comment on or be reflected by a cinema blockbuster — almost as if it means more than superhero popcorn entertainment…

academic, events, podcast

Comics and Islam, Live at MICE 2017 – 004 Sacred & Sequential Audio

January 19, 2018 A. David

Muslim identity and practices are featured more comics than ever, from mainstream titles like Ms. Marvelto independent graphic memoirs. This panel at the 2017 Massachusetts Independent Comics Expo (MICE) takes stock of this important growing field — including the brand-new book Muslim Superheroes: Comics, Islam, and Representation — and presents the perspectives of both academics and creators. Featuring discussion with Hussein Rashid (Religion Professor, Barnard College; Contributor, Muslim Superheroes), A. David Lewis (Instructor, MCPHS University; Co-Editor, Muslim Superheroes; writer, Kismet, Man of Fate), Sara Alfageeh (Illustrator, Co-Director, BOY/BYE series MIPSTERZ project), and Hillary Chute (English Professor, Northeastern Unitersity).

Sacred and Sequential