São Paulo – At least twice a year Muslim children get to read comic books while they learn about Islam. A publisher named Arresala, owned by the São Paulo-based Islamic Center in Brazil, periodically publishes the comic book “Nabil e sua turma” (Nabil and his gang), telling the story of a little Muslim boy who lives in Brazil. Currently, each edition has a print run of 4,000 copies for distribution at Islamic schools, mosques and families throughout Brazil.
The comic book was first published in 2010, after Arresala’s second participation in the São Paulo International Book Biennial. Arresala’s general-secretary, Nasser Khazraji, says that he realized that the publisher had several titles for adults and teenagers, but not to children that visited Arresala’s stand at the fair. “We receive a lot of students from the state and city schools, and also private ones” said Khazraji about the Book Biennial, in which the publishing company also attended in the 2012 and 2014 editions.
That’s how the secretary-general himself came up with the idea of creating a character to explain the Islamic culture and tradition to children. And so Nabil was born, a nine-year-old boy. In the comics, the kid’s day to day is portrayed, for instance, going to a restaurant with his family. Through the plot, the children come to know how a follower of Islamism should behave in this case, praying before eating, not start eating before the others, paying attention to the people rather than the smartphone, and not wasting food.
Among the plots already run by the comics are the school and the importance of acquiring knowledge through it, the visit to the dentist for teeth care, a family trip, and in the next edition a visit to the mosque, in which Nabil brings his non-Muslim friend. The friend is surprised by the fact that he can enter the mosque, since he is not a follower as his friend, a fact that later is explained to him. “A lot of people think that the mosque is a close place”, says Khazraji, explaining that it’s open to anybody.
The intention of the stories is to promote the precepts of Islam and how they can be experienced by the children on day to day. Nabil’s best friend is a black kid and the idea is to show that Islam is against any type of prejudice. Values such as solidarity and helping others are portrayed in the plot. Several Islamic schools use the comics as study material, says Khazraji.
The comic book is written by artist Altemar Domingos. The production process starts after a meeting between Arresala’s staff and the artist, where a theme for the edition is chosen and there’s already a draft for the text. Domingo’s then completes the writing and draws the comic book. There are not fixed dates, but the comics is published at least twice a year. Distribution is free, but the publishing company accepts money donations from schools and institutions that receive the work.
Khazraji says that the comic book has been very well accepted by the children and Muslim community. “They learn faster and in a better way”, says the secretary-general about the children readers. Children that are not linked to the mosques and schools that receive the comic book can request the edition at Arresala, according to Khazraji.
Arresala has as its goal to promote Islam through the media. It has three book collections, one with orientations about Islamism for the general public, another more academic one about topics such as history, philosophy, economy, and a third one with manuscripts and traditions of the Prophet Mohammed and followers. There are also the releases of movies and DVDs, through partnerships with Brazilian producers, about religious topics.
Contact
Comic Book “Nabil and his Friends”
Blog: http://nabilesuaturma.blogspot.com.br/
Arresala Publishing Company: www.arresala.org.br
Phone: +55 (11) 2271-2040
*Translated by Sérgio Kakitani and Gabriel Pomerancblum
