Facebook game with Arab heroes who fight extremism

Advertisement
By Indo Asian News Service | Updated: 5 June 2012 01:59 IST
Highlights
  • A computer game with Arab super heroes has been launched on Facebook in order to create a positive image
A computer game with Arab super heroes has been launched on Facebook. The creator hopes to create a positive image for children who could be enticed by extremist views.

Suleiman Bakhit designed the Happy Oasis game that has already attracted 50,000 followers, BBC reported.

Bakhit - who hails from Jordan - was a student at the US University of Minnesota when the 9/11 attacks took place.

In the aftermath of the terror attack, he was assaulted by four men because he was an Arab.

However, instead of feeling bitter, Bakhit decided to engage in an educational campaign.

"I realised that you fight extremism by starting with the young. The message was simple - 'We are not all terrorists'", he said.

Bakhit began telling "Aladdin-style" stories in local schools in Minnesota.

"One day a child asked me if there was an Arab superman and I realised that there wasn't," he said.

Bakhit then began a comic-book project that aimed to create a range of positive Arab role models, including a "female James Bond" and a Jordanian special agent who fights extremists.

In Jordan, 300,000 copies of Bakhit's comics have been sold.

He then came to realise that there was also a market for a web-based version.

"Print media is dying but there are 30 million Arabs on Facebook so I thought about making social games with the same message," he said.

Bakhit said he was undecided about whether to include a character dressed in a burqa until he showed the animated character to a focus group.

"They loved the idea, so she was in," he said.

Bakhit hopes to take his comic book model to Pakistan, where extremism is a growing problem.

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.

Further reading: Arab super heroes, Facebook
Advertisement
Popular Mobile Brands
  1. Best Diwali 2025 Wishes, Quotes, and Facebook Statuses to Share
  1. Mysterious Asteroid Impact Found in Australia, But the Crater is Missing
  2. Thanal Comes to OTT: Everything You Need to Know About This Tamil Action Thriller
  3. Madam Sengupta Is Now Streaming: Know Where to Watch This Bangla Crime Thriller
  4. Ryugu Samples Reveal Ancient Water Flow on Asteroid for a Billion Years
  5. Scientists Create Most Detailed Radio Map of Early Universe Using MWA
  6. Mayor of Kingstown Season 4 OTT Release: Know When, Where to Watch Jeremy Renner's Crime Drama
  7. Our Fault Is Streaming Now: Know All About This Gabriel Guevara and Nicole Wallace Starrer
  8. The Conjuring: Last Rites Is Now Streaming Online: Know Where to Watch the Latest Installment from the Horror Franchise
  9. Delhi Crime Season 3 OTT Release: Know When to Watch This Shefali Shah Thriller Series
  10. Vast Space to Launch Haven-1, the World’s First Private Space Station in 2026
Gadgets 360 is available in
Download Our Apps
Available in Hindi
© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2025. All rights reserved.