Social Entrepreneur: Naif Al-Mutawa from Kuwait
March 31, 2010
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He has developed a successful comic book series that features 99 Islamic superheroes battling for a better world. The number 99 is no accident: each of the 99 superheroes embodies a virtue or name attributed to Allah. In a region where suicide-bombers are sometimes portrayed as role models, the comics offer a non-violent alternative for conflict resolution. That has angered some conservatives, but has not prevented the comic books from growing in popularity. In 2009, about one million of the comic books were sold world-wide. There's also an accompanying theme park in Kuwait and an animated cartoon series as well.