| In Malaysia, one blogger has developed his own pantheon of comic book characters in a satiric send-up of the Islamist/anti-Islamist divide in that country. It is roughly based on the X-men mutants series of comic books.
Here are a few of the characters:
PEDOman
This superhero archetype has powers of special touch that only work on pre-pubescent kids. PEDOman is actually the only superhero that transcends religion, as evidenced by various news reports in the past. In fact, PEDOman is believed to be a bodiless being, manifesting different religious teachers at different times, of various faiths and fetishes. Using the clever guise of religious disciplining to exercise his special touch, PEDOman will jump from host to host to avoid capture, and is truly the most bizarre (and perverted) of the Mutant Mullah archetypes.
I was reminded of this religion-hopping character today when I saw this story from ABC News: Orthodox Jewish community struggles with abuse allegations.
And then there's this character:
Arab WannabeMan
This mutant archetype will typically infuse Arabic words (which many people don't understand) into their dialog and writing, dress as Arab-friendly as possible (even in humid Malaysia), and believe that the way to God is to become Arab. This archetype could actually be classified as the mutant-precursor archetype, as most other archetypes typically go thru this stage of mutant development at some point (much like Gamma ray bombardment was the stimulus precursor to Bruce Banner becoming the Hulk). Arabic words make one sound more Islamic is the belief; apart from making one more unintelligable.
Which reminded me of this story: Arab investors to build 'Arab cities' in Malaysia, marketed in part as being an opportunity "to give locals a chance to experience Arabic culture." Yea!
And then there's this anti-archetype, in opposition to the mutant mullahs:
Secularist avengers
Mutant Mullahs believe that the only way to live life is in an Islamic Theocracy. No other form of government will cut it. Secularist Avengers (even Muslim ones), on the other hand, believe that what God brought forth in scripture is already a complete way life, to get closer to God (the Quran does not spell out the actual mechanics of an "Islamic State" per se as it is generally understood and practiced, merely the characteristics of a just government - the notion of Islamic statehood came a lot later after the death of the Prophet Muhammad), and therefore religion and statehood can be two coexisting but separate entities - one for the individual or collective soul, and the other as a means of governing the people - provided, of course, the state exercises fairness and equality. The Secularist Avengers are the usual targets of the Apostacizers, the Mutant Mullahs' hitmen. "To be secularist", say the Apostacizers, "is to be an apostate". We can only surmise that God spoke to the Apostacizers Himself at some point, granting them the power to create apostates.
'Secularist avengers' reminded me of this story from altMuslimah: Do sex taboos contribute to sex trafficking? The author raises the question of why Muslims in some countries aren't more proactive in battling sex trafficking, especially when there are such clear Quranic grounds to oppose it. Instead, the groups that are most front and center on the issue are secular and operate out of the dreaded human rights moral framework. Dam those secularists and their hegemonic you know what....
Anyway, here's the link to the full pantheon of characters...what fun... |
