The new Superhero on the block

She's feisty.

She's sassy.  

And she fights evil.

She's the lady in black.

The ONE.

The ONLY.

Behold, the...

BURQA AVENGER.

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Before you think that I've gone nuts, I assure you that this is not my invention. 

"WTF" "WTH" was my first reaction upon hearing this, but as curiosity got the best of me, I decided to google this name that my Malaysian friend J had excitedly texted me in a fit of laughter. I then thought she'd lost it completely. 

Or so I thought.

As I Googled it (and laughed my head off at the same time), I discovered that the 'Burqa Avenger' cartoon series revolves around a "mild-mannered teacher with secret martial art skills, who uses her flowing black burqa to hide her identity and fight thugs seeking to shut down the girls' school, where she works." (Source: The Express Tribune, Pakistan)

Kids, that ain't no Darth Vader, I assure you. 

That's so..cool. I'd love a swishy and flowing cape like that so I could swish it around. It looks so mysterious! :3 Jokes aside, I personally feel that this is a good initiative, because:

a) Each episode depicts different issues, like child labour, superstition and discrimination, paralleling/reflecting Pakistan's current situation & in turn, makes viewers more aware to its plight.

b) Being a cartoon, its excels at poking humour at serious issues like fighting the Taliban- comic style. But it also highlights the harsh reality and extent to which the Taliban has attempted to oppress both Pakistani females, and Pakistani society in general, since many, many years. 

c) It gives a voice to women who live in an oppressed society- where gender equality doesn't exist except maybe as a dream for many- that they have the power to fight for their rights, and nothing can come in their way, despite their religious beliefs. RWARRRR.

d) the message it tries to emanate often comes down to supporting education; as the famous Pakistani singer Haroon (BA's creator) says, ‘It is your right to be educated, whether you are a girl or a boy. Don’t let anybody take that right away from you’. You've got my respect, Haroon.

e) I believe that religion isn't defined by what you wear. And, for real-life women who don a burqa & think that it restricts them- well, BA kind of speaks for itself: IT DOESN'T. Maybe you can't kick or karate-chop people as freely as you'd like to, but you're still capable of doing many things. So don't let something on the exterior stop you from achieving something.

But every point in life has two sides to the story. Here's my other take on this cute superhero: 

Is it sending out the wrong message to women who don this garment? In other words, could BA implying that without your burqa, a woman cannot be strong and is therefore subject to falling victim to submissiveness and meekness? 

Why a burka? (I KNOW, I know- its a cartoon; so don't get all heated up ;) ) Why not a dupatta? Don't most Pakistani women identify more with a dupatta than with a burqa, since its our traditional and everyday garment? 

Does Jiya have to fight thugs physically? What happened to the magic word- Education? Why not try and educate them first, make them gain respect, and then deal with the problem?

Is Jiya so scared of thugs/males, and this highly patriarchal society that she's compelled to wear something that disguises herself, that covers herself, completely? Where is this fear stemming from- stereotypes that out society has cast of women? And if so, isn't this implying... cowardice?? Why the fear?

I don't know. Maybe I'm over-analysing a simple cartoon too much. But simple, is what its not; it has a deeper story behind it. Even so, I'm proud that it's garnered such an overwhelming amount of support, like being mentioned on the Conan O'Brien show. :D

All in all, 3 cheers for Haroon, for creating a character- and a woman, no less- who WANTS to make a true difference in her society. Had the Avenger been a man, I highly, highly doubt that it would have had the same enthusiastic response nationwide, and worldwide.

On a final note, food for thought: if a cartoon character can stand up to oppression and battle so many other obstacles deemed 'too big for women', then SO can women. So burqa-clad, or burqa-less, will the REAL women of Pakistan- PLEASE, PLEASE stand up, once and for all? 

Until next time!

-Cheers xD