SIMON BAZ & THE 99

When the Green Lantern Corp added a new member as part of the NEW 52 it was both a welcomed and interesting choice. See the newest Lantern is Simon Baz and he is a Muslim. Comic books have always been ground breakers and DC with this new character is no exception. Created by Geoff Johns, Baz is the first Arab-American to join the Corp. So why is this a big deal? It shouldn’t be. But in today’s society with so many misconceptions about what it means to be Muslim or the Islamic religion in general, it becomes a big deal in the most refreshing why possible.

 When thinking about this topic I was reminded that Simon isn’t the first Arab superhero to be in mainstream comics. In 2007,THE 99 was created by Dr. Naif Al-Mutawa. The concept was very simple, the 99 consists of ordinary people, young and old who come into possession of the mystical ninety-nine Noor Stones. They are empowered by them and take on specific attributes. These attributes are based on the 99 attributes of Allah and they cover a variety of human characteristics. They include but limited to generosity, strength and wisdom. According to Dr. Al-Mutawa, these are not solely Islamic virtues but universal.

One of my great loves regarding comic books was its universal message of good always defeating evil. That we all have within us to be superheroes. All walks of life regardless of race, gender or creed can make a difference. It’s one of the core values behind the series THE 99. Whether I’m naive or innocent in my view of the world, I am forever the optimist that someday there will be no distinction of who or what are superheroes are but instead, they will simply be our heroes and heroines to admire and emulate. Someday.

Salāmu ʽalaykum! Peace be upon you.

May the Dork be with you,

JPB

The Dork Knight

 

About The Dork Knight 520 Articles
James aka “The Dork Knight” is a blogger and writer based out of Upstate New York. For James, it all started with a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away… when he dragged his mom to see The Empire Strikes Back 10 weeks in a row. He lives and breathes nerd culture. James is proof that a Star Wars fanatic can be a passionate Trekkie as well. So much so James dressed up as Captain Kirk to the premiere of Star Trek VI in 1991 and still has the uniform. When it comes to Comic Books, Sci-Fi or Fantasy whether in print or digital, in the theatre or on my TV screen, I’m all about it and I love it. So bring your Phaser (set to stun), Lightsaber, Sonic Screwdriver, a Wand, Mjolnir or the Ring to rule them all, because this site is for the dork in all of us.