Most superheroes are fairly generic. Superman, Batman, Spiderman, the X-Men… they’re all heroes fighting for good over evil. You’ve got a few religious ones, like Daredevil, but most superheroes aren’t crusading for God. They’re just trying to do the right thing. So when I read this story about the first Muslim superheroes, I didn’t quite know what to think. I still don’t.

Named the 99, as each possesses one of Allah’s 99 attributes, the characters include a burka-clad woman named Batina the Hidden and a Saudi Arabian Hulk-type man named Jabbar the Powerful.

They have proved a hit from Morocco to Indonesia and were recently named as one of the top 20 trends sweeping the world by Forbes magazine.

Now they are being brought to British television by Endemol, the production company behind Big Brother, with a mission to instill Islamic values in children across all faiths.

Until now, the superhero market has been dominated by the likes of Batman, Spiderman and Superman who have typically limited their crime-fighting abilities to America and the Western world.

They were created by Dr Naif al-Mutawa, a clinical psychologist from Kuwait, who felt Muslim children needed a new set of heroes to look up to, to counter jihadist role models.

“It hit me that the stories I was hearing were from men who grew up believing that their leader, Saddam, was a hero, a role model — only to one day be tortured by him,” he told The Times. “I decided the Arab world needed better role models.”

However, despite being called the 99, there will never be a full cast of 99 superheroes since it is forbidden to depict all Allah’s attributes.

Dr al-Mutawa hopes the cartoons will have a universal appeal.

He said: “It is based on attributes such as generosity and mercy. These are not things that Islam has a monopoly over.”

On the one hand, Dr. al-Mutawa is absolutely right that Islamic children need better role models and heroes to look up to. Without knowing much about the content of these cartoons, it’s hard to judge if The 99 will be better role models, though. Who will they be crusading against? Just your regular, average bad guys? Or will they be fighting infidels and Israelis? And while yes, generosity and mercy are great attributes, what else will The 99 be fighting for? Will they be fighting a jihad?

What specifically troubles me is where the creator says he wants to instill Islamic values in children across the world. That wouldn’t be such a problem, except for the fact tha Islam is a murderous, misogynist cult. Women are treated horribly, and infidels are tortured and murdered, all in the name of Allah. Is that merciful? And do we want children indoctrinated with Islamic values?

I don’t know if it will come to America or not, and if it did, I certainly wouldn’t want the government barring it. As I said, without seeing an actual episode of the cartoon or reading the comic book, it’s hard to ascertain if The 99 are, in fact, good role models. But I just can’t help but be wary.