It’s Iimi! Struggles in a Sandstorm

When a Sandstorm hits Dubai, Kismetta’s Father is left stranded in Saudi Arabia while Kismetta and Zara need to ride out the storm in their condo; both bored out of their minds and irritable with cabin fever. Inevitably, Kismetta’s issues with the Emirates and religion, combined with memories of her dream pop up in inconvenient moments. And so Kismetta finds herself facing… Struggles in a Sandstorm!

Pre-Comic Notes: There actually was a sandstorm like this affecting the Persian Gulf in May of 2022. It inspired the backdrop of the story

Post Comic Notes: In Islam, some Muslims (in the story, this includes Kismetta) hold that symbolic dreams (or visions) can be granted by God. Apparently, there are all sorts of Islamic books on interpreting them. I’m not advocating that people should start assuming dreams they have must be visions of course. We certainly should not dabble in other religions, seeking to find “secret truths.” But, since Kismetta’s Muslim beliefs do include this, it is something she would consider.

“al’ama” literally means “blindness.” It’s used in the same way we tend to use “damn” in English. 

Lesson One: Knowing That We Don’t Know

Iimi and Kismetta’s hanging out together is interrupted by Kismetta’s twin brothers and Chela squabbling over playing fair. Kismetta is surprised that Iimi didn’t assume that the twins’ grade school antics were caused by their religion. Iimi points out that she doesn’t know enough about the religion and culture that the Dhumzir family was raised under to make that call.

She goes on to explain that recognizing the possibility of being ignorant and the obligation to learn what the other really believes before judging the beliefs—rather than assume guilt—are vital in behaving justly to others.

“Lesson One” as I present it is an development of Dr. Peter Kreeft’s teaching on explaining Socrates’ “knowing that you don’t know.” My development focuses on the Catholic obligation to avoid false witnesses and, as such, is an offshoot of Dr. Kreeft’s superior Socratic Dialogue series, which I highly recommend.

For those who like the “behind the scenes” details of the comics, this involved making more complicated gestures for sitting characters. The base program has limited seated action, mostly aimed at students sitting at desks. This involved two figures  for each sitting character: a sitting lower half and a standing upper half, allowing more gestures. It isn’t ideal of course. The visible hand can’t fall below the waist or it will “disappear.” But it’s a price I pay to make comics without drawing ability.