Comics can be an effective medium at times to tackle a serious issue in the most easily digestible fashion. Through comics, you can discuss a much broader social issue in a very lighthearted matter while at the same time sending the message across. That’s exactly the message this Muslim superhero wants to give.
This interesting comic that pokes fun at the concept of victim blaming in our society in the name of ‘ghairat’ has caught our attention
The comic is titled ‘Musalman’, the title being a wordplay on Muscleman and Muslim.
The protagonist is a buff musclebound superhero donning a turban with a chand sitara as his symbol. Musalman loves to save the day but always leaves on a judgemental note. The comic book hero’s attitude toward women is how the creator aims to start a positive debate.
Like in this one for instance, after saving the damsel in distress from a bunch of cat-callers, Musalman advised her to wear a burqa.
The creative genius behind this comic is Falah Faisal who is no stranger to comedy
Describing himself as a journalist, filmmaker and standup comic, Falah is of the opinion that art, no matter what kind, can never be detached from politics in this day and age.
“Well, not trying to be deep here. I just wanna stir the pot with my comics. I’m not a religious person. But I’m surrounded by family who are. People I care about and in the last 10-15 years I have seen a transition in terms of them feeling victimized by the way Muslims are portrayed in the media across the world . They really care about their beliefs and can’t detach themselves enough to find the funny side” Falah told MangoBaaz.
“I feel humour is the best way to deal with any topic,” he said
“In a way I envision Musalman to be the voice of the average Muslim who is against fundamentalists and extremists and at the same time follows his religion. because despite being irreligious I think I understand them” he noted. Falah currently has many more comic strips in the pipeline which he plans to release soon. His aim is to create a full-fledged comic book around Musalman. ” Once the characters are properly established which might see him take on ISIS/Taliban (who he believes distort and misuse his religion to further their agenda.”
Aside from comic books, Falah has also been active in the world of comedy
“I’m currently working with a company called CounterCulture and we’re working towards starting a news comedy show on the lines of The Daily Show with Trevor Noah/John Oliver/The Weekly Wipe and also planning to role out sketch comedy videos” he said.
We hope that Falah continues to tackle bigger issues through lighthearted comedy and wish him the best in his future endeavours.
