Coming in at number 5 is Faiza Hussain from Captain Britain and Ml:13. Faiza Hussain was a British Muslim whom received the power to control objects on a sub-atomic level after being truck by a laser beam from aliens that were invading Earth. This allowed her to be able to physically control multiple people. Before, she was a doctor and aid worker but after gaining the powers she did, she helped fight the aliens known as Skrulls with other super heroes such as the Black Knight. On top of appearing in Captain Britain, Faiza Hussain also appeared in multiple Wolverines and Gambits.
Number 4 is Sabra, an Israeli superhero that has appeared in only Marvel comics with other heroes such as Spider Man and the X-men. Sabra’s role in comics is more of a spy than hero. She is a special operative and police officer born with super strength and speed. Marvel has Sabra play roles that coincide with many political issues that go on in the Middle East. Her first son died in a Palestinian bombing and her thus her actions tend to favor Israeli national interests. She has never headlined in a comic herself but has played a major role in many that involve superheroes traveling to the Middle East.
Number 3 on our list is an Afghan teenager by the name of Dust. Dust has the ability to turn into sand and kill people by stripping them of flesh. She was sold into slavery as a young girl but was saved by the Wolverine and other X-men. She mainly plays a role as a student at the Xavier Institute whom, along with her friends, set out to destroy Magneto after he kills many of their colleagues. Dust is one of the only X-men affiliated superheroes whom does not wear the traditional X-men uniform; she wears an Abaya and Niqab veil. Both of these have been a point of conflict wih some of her fellow classmates but they eventually learn to accept her.
Number two is a newer addition DC Comic’s the Justice League (2013), Simon Baz. Simon Baz is Lebanese-American version of the Green Lantern that has recently gained a large fan base. Simon grew up in Michigan right after the attack on the World Trade Centers. This leads to bullying and socio-economic oppression so he turns to street crime to get by. It is after he is bestowed with the Green Lantern ring that he starts to fight for the greater good. Simon Baz is very involved in his first few appearances in DC Comics but he has recently fallen out of the spotlight despite the frustration from his fans.
Finally, number one is Black Adam from DC comics. Black Adam is from a made up Middle Eastern nation called Kahndaq and is the ruler. He has super powers similar to those of Superman but his morally grey anti-hero attitude draws in a lot of fans. He is usually fighting his rival, a superhero known as Shazam. Black Adam has appeared in over 90 DC Comic issues and varies between playing the role as hero and villan. A movie about the epic rivalry between Black Adam and Shazam was almost made last year and would have been played for Dwayne Johnson, AKA the Rock.
So there you have it. There aren’t many Middle Eastern superheroes represented in today’s comics and even less are able to gain enough popularity to appear on a long term basis but it’s good that there are a handful. I think the presence of Middle Eastern superheroes in comics is great for breaking down prejudices in kids and adults and I hope that more superheroes like these ones can become more prevalent in the near future. What do you guys think of these superheroes? Do you know of any others or ones that would be really cool to see in future comics? I don’t read comics myself so if I messed anything up or left anything out, please let me know!
Sources:
http://www.comicvine.com/faiza-hussain/4005-54837/
http://marvel.com/universe/Sabra
Across Cultures 
I’ve never heard of any of these before, but they seem really cool, especially Dust
This was really fun to read and really Jess light to the similarities amoung our culture compared with the Middle East. I really loved how there is even a women superhero that is represented, I would of thought just guessed that women weren’t included in but it was cool to see they are.
Wade, this post is awesome! It is a more mellow topic but still displays racial issues that exist today. For example, all five of these are very popular in the Middle East, and are related to bigtime DC and Marvel comic superheros like Spiderman and the Green Latern, however, they are rarely heard of on the big screen. By big screen, I mean Hollywood. Every year so many superhero moves premiere in the United States and none of the headlining superheros are the ones described above. I’ve watched my fair share of X-men and I have never even heard of ‘Dust’. It sad these superhero’s haven’t become famous, they all seem just as interesting as the current famous superheros.