Arab Superwomen Triumph as Comics Depict New Middle East

(Corrects 14th paragraph to say THE 99 appeared in DC Comics in story originally published Nov. 6.)

It wasn’t Egypt’s police force that saved Layla from sexual assault, it was Qahera, a sword-wielding, female superhero in a long black hijab.

Groped by the comic strip’s villains, Layla’s hopes of police assistance are dashed when an officer castigates her for wearing inappropriate clothing -- trousers and a sweater. Back on the street, she’s confronted by another gang of tormentors and is saved only when Qahera appears, beating them with a stick and then stringing them by the scruff of their necks from the police station railings.

SLIDESHOW: Arab Superwomen Fight Convention as Comics Draw New Middle East

Qahera is emblematic of a new breed of Arab comic superheroine emerging as liberals and conservatives dispute the legacy of the 2011 uprisings. Young artists are focusing on as yet unresolved issues in the Middle East and North Africa, which have left male-dominated cultures largely intact.

“Female superheroes and leading characters show women filling the gender gap and highlight governments’ neglect of women’s rights,” said Lena Merhej, a Lebanese artist researching visual narratives at Jacobs University Bremen in Germany, in an interview. The new breed of comic characters “fulfill their dreams and aspirations for a better life.”

Qahera, the Arabic word for Cairo that also means victorious, was created by 19-year-old Egyptian graphic design student Deena Mohamed and first appeared on the Internet in June, about five months after popular protests following the gang-rape of a woman with a knife in Tahrir Square. Mohamed says the comic is a way of defying conventions requiring female silence on harassment.

Character Inspiration

“I wanted to create a superhero to face some of the things that frustrated me,” she said.

Audiences are receptive. Since September, Mohamed’s website has had nearly 500,000 unique visitors, with an average of about 10,000 hits per day and has been asked by local publishers to sign a deal for a printed version. She says she gets daily messages from Arab women and girls who say they’re inspired by Qahera.

At Dubai’s Middle East Film & Comic Convention last year, Sudanese author Mai El Shoush was surrounded by fans when she unveiled a teaser for her graphic novel “Drawn,” charting the transformation of Rayann Lawsonia from a shy girl into the savior of the world.

“I wanted to create a strong female Arab character people can relate to,” said El Shoush, whose comic is being released this month by U.S.-based Jabal entertainment. “I hate those stereotyped Barbie-like plastic characters in tight leather.”

Sexual Power

The illustrators of other graphic novels, though, say showing a leading female character as sexually powerful can help change minds in countries where social tensions have heightened over the past two years.

Elyssa Haddad, the leading lady in Tunisian artist Jihen Ben Mahmoud’s Passion Rouge series, sometimes appears nude and in erotic scenes. That’s earned hate mail for the artist, including accusations that she’s an infidel.

“The Arab world has an issue with appearance,” she said. “That’s why I intentionally highlight my character’s sexuality: she owns her own body, she can hide it, uncover it, do whatever she wants with it, it’s not a source of shame.”

The current leading ladies of the genre aren’t its first female heroes. In the 1980s, wife and husband team Samira Shafik and Ihab Shaker introduced Egyptians to the adventures of Shamsa and Dana and in 2006 the Lebanese artist Joumana Medlej created Malaak, a girl with magical powers who saves her country from evil spirits masquerading as militias.

Muslim Superheroes

Also in 2006, Kuwaiti-born psychologist Naif al-Mutawa unveiled THE 99, a team of Muslim superheroes including several women, who became so popular they featured in DC Comics alongside Superman and Batman.

Another inspiration for the new artists was the animated 2007 film Persepolis about an outspoken Iranian girl that was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, according to Merhej, the visual narrative researcher. She said the Internet and social media are also providing women with new tools in the wake of the Arab Spring, and helping them reach ever-larger audiences.

For now though, the Arab comic industry is a virgin market and illustrators “are doing it purely for the love of it and the expression,” said Ben Caddy, director of the Middle East Film & Comic Convention.

“Solid female characters, not just superheroes, are essential for the Arab world at this time of unprecedented violence against women,” said Medlej, Malaak’s creator. “We can create in our literature the equal and balanced society we aspire to.”

Violence may form part of the new superheroine armory but so too does respect for the rule of law. As Qahera swoops down to rescue Layla, she indicates that payback is to include a day in court.

She turns to the girl and says, “Don’t worry, I’ll be waiting to testify against these men with you.”

To contact the reporters on this story: Salma El Wardany in Cairo atselwardany@bloomberg.net; Caroline Alexander in London at calexander1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Andrew J. Barden at barden@bloomberg.net

By Salma El Wardany and Caroline Alexander - Source Bloomberg