Ms. Marvel Muslim Character Kamala Khana A Politically Correct Bad Idea?

Is the Ms. Marvel Muslim character named Kamala Khana, as conceived by writer G. Willow Wilson, a bad idea for a politically correct Mrs. Marvel reboot?

As previously reported by The Inquisitr, the new Ms. Marvel may be Muslim, but she won’t be wearing Islam’s infamous burka.

The new Ms. Marvel series is also written by a female Muslim and edited by a female Muslim. That’s just as important as having a Muslim hero, since any portrayal of Ms. Marvel as an Americanized Muslim who has grown up in New Jersey should be more authentic.

The writer named G. Willow Wilson is a Muslim convert from a secular background who found Islam in university, so it will be interesting to see her portrayal of Kamala Khan’s character. She is known for her graphic novel Cairo, a comic series called Air, her debut novel Alif the Unseen, and more recently, her work in Uncanny X-Force.

The idea for a Muslim Ms. Marvel originated from a conversation between Marvel editor Sana Amanat and Steve Wacker, who was being told stories about Amanat growing up as an American Muslim. Apparently, they decided that comics needed more cultural diversity.

G. Willow Wilson does expect backlash for making Ms. Marvel Muslim:

“Any time you do something like this, it is a bit of a risk. You’re trying to bring the audience on board and they are used to seeing something else in the pages of a comic book.”

Ms. Amanat believes the same, but notes even fellow Muslims might not like Ms. Marvel:

“I do expect some negativity, not only from people who are anti-Muslim, but people who are Muslim and might want the character portrayed in a particular light. This is not evangelism. It was really important for me to portray Kamala as someone who is struggling with her faith.”

You may be wondering if the new Ms. Marvel will be involved in any of the political issues that seem to plague the Muslim community, but so far reports seem to indicate the new superhero will be more caught up in normal teenage angst.

Despite any politics, while some Ms. Marvel fans are open to the female Muslim character, they have some second thoughts based upon certain details:

@_shireenahmed_ I'm so excited about this comic but that statement along with the description of her family frustrate me.

— Farrah Khan (@farrahsafiakhan) November 6, 2013

I’m assuming the Tweet is referring to Ms. Amanat saying, “Her brother is extremely conservative. Her mom is paranoid that she’s going to touch a boy and get pregnant. Her father wants her to concentrate on her studies and become a doctor.”

While browsing Tweets and comment about Ms. Marvel, I’ve noticed many people claim there will be bigoted responses. So far, I really haven’t seen anything except for people claiming that making Ms. Marvel Muslim is all about political correctness. For example, one article states:

“If you wonder why comic book sales are in the dump, just look at yet another politically correct move for diversity without merits sake from Marvel comics.”

But others believe cultural diversity should be encouraged:

http://twitter.com/SidizenKane/status/397983303099117568

One hilarious take on the subject of Ms. Marvel and political correctness should not be missed:

“I’m so pissed that Marvel continues to preach their politically correct agenda and force us to read about shape-shifting superheroines with extremely large fists. Listen, I have nothing against those dang shape-shifters, but I just don’t see why Marvel has to shove their PC bullcr*p down my throat and make me read about one. In fact, it’s the shape-shifters who are the racist ones. If they weren’t racist, it wouldn’t matter that all the classic heroes and heroines from the 1940’s and 1960’s are all normally shaped people.”

Do you think making Ms. Marvel Muslim is a politically correct bad idea or a win for cultural diversity?

http://twitter.com/GWillowWilson/status/397812658075758592