Character Help: name for female powerd-armor Muslim heroine

[FenrisUlf]

Bet that's not a combo you see every day.

 

But, having decided to do a character in the current campaign (based in Millenium City, which does have a large population of Arab-Americans and Muslims living in or nearby), I would like to ask if anyone out there has any ideas for the heroic name for the character. She's a Muslim (though not of the NOI or fundamentalist branches), and of Arabic descent, and I was wondering what sort of name she might use that draws on Arabic tradition/history/folklore.

 

I should add that her armor is built to hide her gender; her family isn't the Taliban, but there'd still be some trouble (and she's shy enough to enjoy the extra level of privacy). Right now I was thinking of something like 'the Saracen', but it sounds kind of lame. Any ideas from our more Arabophile posters would be appreciated.

[freakboy6117]

Re: Character Help: name for female powerd-armor Muslim heroine

 

well i couldnt find much on google best one i could come up with was

 

sledge hammer shakoosh kabir

 

once word gets out thats shes female i imagine the press calling her

The babe in the bullet proof burka

or maybe just bullerproof-burka-babe

of course they will probably get a bunch of complaints if they do

[Guest Witch Doctor]

Re: Character Help: name for female powerd-armor Muslim heroine

 

Unless I'm mistaken there are no female special forces or police in any Muslim country.

That suggests to me that you are asking for something which ties her to a culture which doesn't recognize her position as legitimate.

[Peregrine]

Re: Character Help: name for female powerd-armor Muslim heroine

 

At the very least she's violating the tenets of her religion (Islam being simultaneously a religion, a culture, and a theocratic sociopolitical movement). She would be "Muslim in name only", and probably be widely reviled by the local Islamic clergy in their Friday sermons should they discover her gender.

[Hermit]

Re: Character Help: name for female powerd-armor Muslim heroine

 

If she sees the consturction of power armor like crafting a good tale, perhaps she'd go by Scherizade...

 

Okay, it is a stretch I admit but it's all that came to mind at first.

 

EDIT: Excuse me, failed my perception roll, she wouldn't call herself that if trying to hide her gender.

[Guest Witch Doctor]

Re: Character Help: name for female powerd-armor Muslim heroine

 

Maybe its a high-tech veil?

Or maybe its the world's smallest mobile home. She beats up villains without ever stepping out of her home into public.

[freakboy6117]

Re: Character Help: name for female powerd-armor Muslim heroine

 

oh just remembered a good one

 

Janissary

a freakboys word of the week from last year.

The encycolepdia link has a bunch of other related terms that could work.

[Hermit]

Re: Character Help: name for female powerd-armor Muslim heroine

 

Maybe she'd call herself Crescent?

[Beetle]

Re: Character Help: name for female powerd-armor Muslim heroine

 

It's obvious and probably way overused, but what about The Arabian Knight?

[Beetle]

Re: Character Help: name for female powerd-armor Muslim heroine

 

Maybe she'd call herself Crescent?

As long as you realize that the first time she takes knockback, the "crescent roll" jokes will start flying.

[Doug McCrae]

Re: Character Help: name for female powerd-armor Muslim heroine

 

I don't think she'd have a Muslim/Arabian oriented name at all. I mean do the Italian-American superheroes have Catholic/Roman names? Have any of Kitty Pryde's superhero names made references to Judaism?

 

Call her something like Tank, Armorguard, Hardpoint or D-Fence

[Lord Liaden]

Re: Character Help: name for female powerd-armor Muslim heroine

 

I once created a cyborg character of Middle-Eastern background called Shamshir. That's the curved sword historically used in the region, from which English derives the word "scimitar."

[Greatwyrm]

Re: Character Help: name for female powerd-armor Muslim heroine

 

How about Iron Djinn? If she's quick and agile, maybe Dancing Scimitar.

[caris]

Re: Character Help: name for female powerd-armor Muslim heroine

 

At the very least she's violating the tenets of her religion (Islam being simultaneously a religion' date=' a culture, and a theocratic sociopolitical movement). She would be "Muslim in name only", and probably be widely reviled by the local Islamic clergy in their Friday sermons should they discover her gender.[/quote']

Peregrine, I think you and Witch Doctor are ignoring the fact that progressive sects in Islam do exist. While this woman's family are on the conservative side, that does not encompass all of Islam. I might point out that America didn't have women in special forces until relatively recently either.

[Dog Soldier]

Re: Character Help: name for female powerd-armor Muslim heroine

 

Progressive Muslim clerics are not that common and you can be sure that the rest would be condemning her.

[Whitewings]

Re: Character Help: name for female powerd-armor Muslim heroine

 

Progressive Muslim clerics are not that common and you can be sure that the rest would be condemning her.

 

Locally, (meaning the Vancouver, BC area) it's not all that unusual to see Moslem women walking around outside the home. The Koran does require that women in a certain age range be escorted by a male relative or an older female relative, but a powered armour heroine whose armour appears to be male isn't likely to catch trouble for this unless her cover's blown, and even then you could argue that the armour's *far* better protection than any escort. And please, remember that the "black body-bag" outfit is *not* a Koranic requirement, only the covering of the hair, the body from neck to ankles, and the arms down to the wrists.

[freakboy6117]

Re: Character Help: name for female powerd-armor Muslim heroine

 

I find my self-picturing the Armour as really pretty

 

Helmet echoing the a Saracen helmet (round and with a pointed bullet like shape and a chain/scale mail curtain protecting the back of the head) with a face mask showing only and eye slit like a bhurka then the body which is fairly standard in black and green (green being a holy color) but on top of all the surface an intricate raised layer of silver (adamantium or questionite perhaps or just a titanium/steel alloy) inscribing appropriate passages from the Koran.

 

As for why our heroine might choose an Arabic name and suit design. Firstly she comes from a conservative Islamic family so her religion and the language she shares with her family probably means a lot to her.

 

Secondly with so much anti Arab/Islamic sentiment in the world she may think it would be good to have a positive example to show the world that not all Muslims are terrorists and that the Koran has more to it than just the Jihad.

 

Finally she could want to represent a role model for the Islamic community its self because really they aren't represented in super heroics.

[Teflon Billy]

Re: Character Help: name for female powerd-armor Muslim heroine

 

Crescent = Hilal(m) Hilala(f)

 

Iron Man = Rajul Hadeedi(m)

 

Arabian Knight = Faris Arabi

 

Arabian Night = Layl Arabi(m) Layla Arabia(f)

 

Also,

 

"Shakoosh Kabir" literally means "Big Hammer"

 

For a closer definition:

Sledge-hammer = "Mirzaba" or "Mitraqa Thaqila"

 

Both of these would be nice as they are both feminine words.

 

I'll look around a bit and see if I can find some better arabic names.

 

TB

[Bunyip]

Re: Character Help: name for female powerd-armor Muslim heroine

 

A character motivated to uphold justice ought to have a name to match. If your character wants to indicate her religious affiliations (and I agree that it shouldn't be an essential in the great melting pot that is the US of A) then surely it should be Sharia, after the Islamic code of justice?

[TheQuestionMan]

Re: Character Help: name for female powerd-armor Muslim heroine

 

"Big Burka"

 

 

QM

[Beetle]

Re: Character Help: name for female powerd-armor Muslim heroine

 

I don't think she'd have a Muslim/Arabian oriented name at all. I mean do the Italian-American superheroes have Catholic/Roman names? Have any of Kitty Pryde's superhero names made references to Judaism?

Maybe it's a 60s/70s type campaign. Remember Black Lightning, Black Panther, Black Goliath and Black Talon?

[freakboy6117]

Re: Character Help: name for female powerd-armor Muslim heroine

 

yeah new minorities with few heros like to proclaim themselves, especial at times when they are considered a threat by the majority.

[FenrisUlf]

Re: Character Help: name for female powerd-armor Muslim heroine

 

I find my self-picturing the Armour as really pretty

 

Helmet echoing the a Saracen helmet (round and with a pointed bullet like shape and a chain/scale mail curtain protecting the back of the head) with a face mask showing only and eye slit like a bhurka then the body which is fairly standard in black and green (green being a holy color) but on top of all the surface an intricate raised layer of silver (adamantium or questionite perhaps or just a titanium/steel alloy) inscribing appropriate passages from the Koran.

 

As for why our heroine might choose an Arabic name and suit design. Firstly she comes from a conservative Islamic family so her religion and the language she shares with her family probably means a lot to her.

 

Secondly with so much anti Arab/Islamic sentiment in the world she may think it would be good to have a positive example to show the world that not all Muslims are terrorists and that the Koran has more to it than just the Jihad.

 

Finally she could want to represent a role model for the Islamic community its self because really they aren't represented in super heroics.

 

Yes, it was pictures of Islamic armor that started me on a 'Muslim powered armor character' in the first place. Islamic armorers made some real works of art. That, and reading some Leila Ahmed and Fatima Mernissi (Muslim feminists) gave me the idea of a woman. Don't know about the Qu'ranic verses, though it sure sounds like a good idea.

 

As far as her being a superheroine, she kind of bungled into that; she was educated as an engineer (she wanted to show dad she could contribute to his business by making an all-environment suit for his workers), and the first time she wore the suit on a trial flight she ran across some VIPER agents robbing the company. She dealt with them, the press ran with a 'Muslim hero', VIPER publically swore nasty revenge, and the local (Millenium City/Dearborn) Islamic community were ecstatic over 'one of our own as a superhero'. Add in a sense of noblesse oblige to her faith and her community, and this young lady finds herself acting as a superhero even when she's not sure she wants to.

 

And a big THANK YOU to all the ideas here. You've been very helpful.

[steriaca]

Re: Character Help: name for female powerd-armor Muslim heroine

 

If you still need a name, how's about The Shield Of Alah? Think about it...in religion (even if your not a fanatic), evey thing you acomplish is through the higher power, and your just the instrment. So, she is the "shield" which Alah has provided to protect her people.

[Dauntless]

Re: Character Help: name for female powerd-armor Muslim heroine

 

First, about Islam...

 

Not all muslims are as restrictive towards women as you may think. Many muslim women (especially Sunnis) don't have to wear veils, and can even wear makeup. In the Koran, a woman can not be forced to marry someone she doesn't wish to (her parents can't force arrange a marriage) moreover, by Islamic law, a woman is allowed to keep her last name.

 

So why don't you see this more in the Islamic world? Because there's a difference between religion and culture. Many arabic nations don't uphold these laws because it goes against their customs (remember, Islam is a relatively new religion).

 

Of all the muslim sects, the least repressive (and IMHO) the most interesting are the Sufis. They are a mystical branch of Islam that has many many similarities between Christian Gnosticism and Jewish Kabbalism (and even Hinduism). Indeed, many muslims (predominately Shias) feel that Sufi's are barely muslim at all, despite the fact that all 4 Caliphs (a Caliph is the "head" of Islam, akin to Pope and king...though there hasn't been one since the 13th century) proclaimed them to uphold the highest ideals of Islam.

 

If you ever watched the movie, "Jewel of the Nile" (the sequel to "Romancing the Stone"), then you will at least have been exposed in a Hollywoodish way to the Sufis.

 

The Sufi's also believe that the most important Jihad is the inner Jihad (jihad means struggle, not holy war). Here's a quote from an important Sufi in the middle ages:

The Prophet said: "Shall I tell you something that is the best of all deeds, constitutes the best act of piety in the eyes of your Lord, elevates your rank in the hereafter, and carries more virtue than the spending of gold and silver in the service of Allah, or taking part in jihad and slaying or being slain in the path of Allah?" They said: "Yes!" He said: "Remembrance of Allah."

 

As for a good name, how about:

Kashf al-mahjub which means, "uncovering the veiled"

 

It has a double entendre, meaning unveiling of a woman, as well as it's implied meaning, to discover truth by uncovering the veils that hide truth(Allah).