State of the Arts Blog

Pow! Splat! Bam! A new look at Islam.

Can comic books create religious tolerance, even respect? Naif Al-Mutawa thinks so. He's the man behind "THE 99," a new generation of comic book heroes, named after the 99 attributes of Allah. Al-Mutawa say they fight more than crime; they smash stereotypes and battle extremism. In this TED Talk, Al-Mutawa talks about how his characters reinforce positive messages of Islam, confront evil and even team up with the Justice League of America.