BY NINA GOLGOWSKI / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Dressed almost like a ninja, the trail-blazing cartoon is a school teacher who fights thugs and corrupt politicians who would keep girls from school. The show it is set to air in 60 countries and be translated into 18 languages, including English and French.
BURKA AVENGER/VIA FACEBOOK
Jiya, a Sharif Muslim school teacher, suits up to resemble a kind of ninja when she assumes her secret identity of the Pakistani Burka Avenger.
Evil-doers beware: Pakistan has unleashed a new kind of superhero who's being called the country's very own Wonder Woman.
Fighting under the cover of a black, flowing burka, this captivating action figure called the Burka Avenger unleashes powerful ninja moves that defend "justice, peace and education for all."
Aired for the first time last month, the inspiring Urdu-language cartoon series from the creation of Pakistani pop star Haroon Rashid is blazing a trail.
"She doesn't punch. She doesn't hit, she doesn't kick, she doesn't shoot anybody, all she does is clonk people on the heads with books or throw pens," Rashid told CBS. "So there's an underlying message with that - the importance of education — and the pen is mightier than the sword."
The hit show follows Jiya, a Sharif Muslim school teacher by day turned Burka Avenger by night.
According to Rashid her outfit is a choice, with Jiya choosing to not cover herself while serving as a school teacher. But when becomes her secret counterpart, the only parts of her that show are her eyes and fingers - like a kind of cape-wearing ninja.
BURKA AVENGER/VIA FACEBOOK
Jiya/Burka Avenger clonks people on the head with books and throws pen — emphasizing the importance of education for all.
"She is modest and hiding identity when fighting thugs," according to the program's Facebook page. "We did not want her dressed half-naked like most western superheroes because she is a Muslim superhero."
With the help of three school children, Jiya stands up to these thugs and corrupt politicians who are seen trying to prevent young girls from getting an education.
"What business do women have with education?" one villain says in an episode while attempting to close down a school. "They should stay at home, washing, scrubbing and cleaning, toiling in the kitchen."
It may sound far-fetched to those fortunate enough to benefit from a public education system and healthy democracy, but it is a modern-day battle in many parts of the world that has led to bloodshed and destruction.
Taliban militants have taken responsibility for blowing up hundreds of schools and preventing thousands of girls from going to school in Pakistan's northwest.
Nearly half of Pakistan's children are not enrolled in primary school, including nearly three quarters of young girls, according to the United Nations and 2012 government statistics.
BURKA AVENGER/VIA YOUTUBE
Pakistani pop star Haroon Rashid is not only the creator behind the new hit Urdu-language series but performs the theme song as well, as seen in the music video here.
Literacy rate among children is extremely low.
Rashid had been working on the cartoon program for two years when 15-year-old education activist, Malala Yousafzai, was critically shot in the head by Taliban gunmen while riding a school bus in October.
"I had never heard of Malala before then," Rashid told AFP. "It was like life was imitating what was on our screen while we were developing."
Malala, who Rashid refers to as a "real-life superhero," survived the attack and delivered a speech at the UN in New York in July.
Since the program's release last month, it is set to air in 60 countries and be translated into 18 languages, including English and French.
Its success has been overwhelming, according to Rashid.
"The reception has been absolutely phenomenal, beyond our expectations," he told AFP. "We were making this little animated TV series for Pakistan but it seems like the whole world wants to know about the Burka Avenger."
Source: ngolgowski@nydailynews.com
On a mobile device? Watch the video story here or the music video here
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/superhero-burka-avenger-defends-education-article-1.1418636#ixzz2bGUF3Xvh
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