Friday, September 30, 2022
Elder of Ziyon
An Arab pop-culture writer named Tariq Raouf wrote a ridiculous screed about why Marvel should not introduce the Israeli character Sabra into their cinematic universe, claiming that she insults Arabs with her name that makes them think of Sabra and Shatila, because she is a racist who hates Arabs because her daughter was killed in a terror attack, because the actress to play her is Israeli - the usual litany.
That same Raouf is however enamoured with another Marvel cinematic universe character who was introduced this year on Disney Plus: The Scarlet Scarab.
I will now write an article "proving" that The Scarlet Scarab is an antisemitic, terrorist bigot using the exact same methods and illogic that we have seen in dozens of anti-Sabra articles. This is a spoof, it is not what I believe.
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Marvel's introduction of The Scarlet Scarab in its Moon Knight series has proven that it supports a worldwide anti-Jewish, pro-Palestinian, pro-Nazi conspiracy.
Scarlet Scarab's origin story is told in Marvel Comics Invaders #23 and #25, from 1977. During World War II, an Egyptian archaeologist named Abdul Faoul manipulates the Invaders superheroes to help him recover an ancient artifact known as the Ruby Scarab, which turns him into the Scarlet Scarab with the usual array of superhero/supervillain capabilities like superhuman strength.
When Scarlet Scarab is introduced, he is allied with the Nazis, protecting Egypt from the British and fighting American and British superheroes.
Scarlet Scarab leads a gang of terrorists known as the Sons of the Scarab. He eventually turns against the Nazis - but not because of their genocides or racism. He only opposes them when he realizes that they will not support an independent Egypt. His temporary alliance with the Invaders on the Allied side is one of convenience, not ideology. The genocide of millions of Jews doesn't bother him in the slightest.
Scarlet Scarab is clearly an antisemite, as most Egyptians were in the 1940s. His archaeologist persona reminds one of famed Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass who has said that "Jews control the entire world" and, as head of Egypt's antiquities ministry, said that he would not allow any Jews to pray in any restored Egyptian synagogues.
Scarab is also described as an Egyptian nationalist, which reminds Israelis all too well of the genocidal intent of Gamal Abdel Nasser, the most famous of Egyptian nationalists, who swore to destroy Israel.
The Sons of the Scarab, by definition, are symbolic "brothers." This appears to be a deliberate echo of the Muslim Brotherhood which has spawned terror groups like Hamas and Al Qaeda.
Even worse, the actress playing the now-female Scarlet Scarab, May Calamawy, is an Egyptian-Palestinian. The vast majority of both Egyptians and Palestinians are rabidly antisemitic according to multiple polls, and Calamawy must be assumed to be a racist antisemitic bigot unless she says anything pro-Israel.
It’s hard to see how any of Scarab's origins can become a “great Hollywood blockbuster story” for entertainment. Even though the new Scarlet Scarab is a woman, there is no “new approach” that could paint a terrorist with that background as a model hero.
There’s nothing wrong with wanting to put an Arab hero in the MCU. However, putting Scarlet Scarab, a one time Nazi ally and terror group leader, into the world’s biggest blockbuster franchise is a problem. It certainly feels like the powers that be are ignoring the real-life atrocities happening to Israelis every day. There are so many other ways to whisk audiences away into a thrilling story without this problematic character. For Marvel Studios to go forth with using an antisemitic and Arab-supremacist character like Scarlet Scarab would be a shame and an incredible insult to Jewish and Israeli comics fans all around the world.
A Nazi-allied, antisemitic terrorist leader is hardly the type of superhero that Marvel should be promoting.
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