Meet Burka Avenger: a Pakistani superheroine fighting for girls’ education

Real life has its fair share of heroines, brave women engaged in the ongoing battle against those who would strip others of basic human rights.

Take for example Malala Yousafzai, the ballsy 15-year-old Pakistani schoolgirl and activist who was shot in the head by the Taliban and, miraculously, survived to carry on the fight.

The world of comic books and animated shows, however, is somewhat lacking in such role models. Sure, we have the likes of Wonder Woman and Black Widow. These virtual heroines, however, are generally seen combating unrealistic problems, such as fantastical demon gods and similarly unbelievable alien despots. Sad to say, these characters are also, more often than not, used as sex symbols rather than true role models.
 
Enter “Burka Avenger,” undoubtedly the first Pakistani ninja superheroine who weaponizes simple school items, such as pens, and books, in her war on evil.
 
Starring in her very own computer-animated show, Burka Avenger is a mild-mannered schoolteacher named Jiya who also happens to be a secret martial arts expert, according to The Telegraph and Sky News. Whenever evil rears its ugly head—in the form of thugs trying to shut down the local girls’ school—she dons a flowing black burka to hide her true identity, and then introduces her enemies to some major butt-kicking.
 

Real-life parallels
 
Sadly, Burka Avenger’s struggle against such crooks is one that Pakistanis in the real world are all too familiar with.
 
The Taliban, the extremist political movement that opposes girls’ education, is mostly responsible for the destruction of hundreds of schools and violent attacks on activists in northwest Pakistan.

One of their would-be victims, the aforementioned Malala Yousafzai, became a global symbol of education rights for young women after the failed attempt to assassinate her autumn last year.
 
Despite the parallels between real life and cartoon, the animated series is taking a more light-hearted approach. The bad guys may be treacherous, but they are also clumsy, designed for comedic value rather than terror. Needless to say, they are no match for the masked avenger.
 
The show, which is due to air on Geo TV in early August, will be in Urdu. It was conceptualized by Aaron Haroon Rashid, one of Pakistan’s most beloved pop stars.

With Burka Avenger, Rashid wishes to emphasize the importance of girls’ education, while also imparting other lessons to children, including the need to keep the environment healthy, and the dangers of discrimination and intolerance.
 
The last point, in particular, is of critical value in a country where Islamic extremists repeatedly attack religious minorities.
 
“Each one of our episodes is centered around a moral, which sends out strong social messages to kids,” said Rashid. “But it is cloaked in pure entertainment, laughter, action, and adventure.”
 
The burka as a symbol of mystery, not oppression
 
Some among the nerd herd will probably be disappointed that Burka Avenger isn’t doing her fighting in her underwear. After all, how many Western superheroines—not to mention local ones (*cough* Darna *cough*)—are depicted going to battle in nothing but tissue-thin bras and ridiculous bulletproof thongs?
 
Burka Avenger, however, not only challenges the hyper-sexualized stereotype by wearing a black burka that covers her from head to toe; the character also challenges the notion of the burka as a sign of oppression.
 
When the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in the 1990s, they forced women to wear burkas. This superheroine’s particular version of the outfit, however, is different in that it is sleeker and more ninja-like. This is in contrast to the bulky robes of the traditional burka worn by conservative Muslim women.

Rashid, who does not subscribe to radical Islam, chose to clothe his character in a burka to give the cartoon a local flavor, which is being touted as the first animated show ever produced in Pakistan.
 
“It’s not a sign of oppression. She is using the burka to hide her identity like other superheroes,” said Rashid. “Since she is a woman, we could have dressed her up like Catwoman or Wonder Woman, but that probably wouldn’t have worked in Pakistan.”
 
It is to be noted that Burka Avenger’s true identity, Jiya, while modestly-dressed, does not wear a burka or even the slightly less conservative headscarf over her hair.
 
The setting, main characters, and villains
 
The story is set in the mountains and valleys of northern Pakistan, in a fictional town called Halwapur. According to the show’s official site, Jiya’s adopted father taught her Takht Kabaddi—a unique fighting style that uses books and pens as weapons as well as a variety of martial arts moves, to lethal effect.
 
The main villains are Vadero Pajero—a corrupt politician who, in the premier episode, seeks to close down the girls’ school—and Baba Bandook, a wicked, bearded sorcerer who is meant to visually and thematically resemble a Taliban commander.
 
Bandook’s beliefs are eerily similar to the Taliban’s, as is evidenced when he utters the following lines:
 
“What business do women have with education? They should stay at home, washing, scrubbing and cleaning, toiling in the kitchen.”
 
Caught in the fray are three children: Ashu, her twin brother Immu, and their friend Mooli.
 
“The girls of today are the mothers of tomorrow,” says Ashu when Bandook padlocks the school’s gate. “If the mothers are not educated, then future generations will also remain illiterate.”
 
It is at this point that Burka Avenger arrives to fight off Bandook’s goons. Bandook himself vanishes in a puff of smoke, but for the time being, the side of good emerges the victor as Burka Avenger breaks open the padlock and makes education available once more for the children of Halwapur.
 
As vicious as the villains are, they too serve a purpose other than Burka Avenger’s punching bags in the show.

For example, in one episode, Bandook reveals plans to take over London, New York, and Paris. A henchman interrupts him and asks, “But how will we get visas to go to all those places?” This is in reference to the harsh reality that traveling is a major challenge for most Pakistanis, given their country’s reputation.
 

Young fans
 
So far, the early screening of Burka Avenger has been met with success. The first lucky viewers—a group of children at an orphanage on the outskirts of Islamabad—cheered and laughed as Burka Avenger layed the smackdown on the opposition.
 
Samia Naeem, ten years old, said she enjoyed watching the heroine “because she saved kids’ lives, she motivated them for education and school.”
 
The rock stars behind the show
 
Though Pakistani celebrity Rashid funded much of the television program himself, he also received aid from outside donors whose identities they preferred to keep a secret.
 
Rashid and other Pakistani rock stars, such as Ali Azmat and Ali Zafar, provided music for the first 13 episodes. Rashid also created a Burka Avenger game for the iPhone and a Facebook page.
 
In a music video collaboration between Rashid and local rap star Adil Omar, the two icons sing their praise of Burka Avenger: “Don’t mess with the lady in black, when she’s on the attack.” — VC, GMA News