Arab Green Lantern Teased By DC Comics

DC Comics recently made headlines by announcing a gay Green Lantern. Now, DC Comics appears to be looking to attract the press again. The cover for Green Lantern #0 was released today, and it reveals a completely new Green Lantern, who is apparently of Middle Eastern descent. While DC Comics has not officially announced the ethnicity of the new Green Lantern, a dark skin-tone and an Arabic tattoo on his forearm has most fans speculating that this will be an Arab Green Lantern. According to the DC Comics tease for Green Lantern #0, the issue will feature the introduction and origin of a surprising new Green Lantern. Of course, the use of the word surprising indicates that there will be something unique and different about this Green Lantern. As DC Comics has been making a concentrated effort to bring more diversity to their comic books, the introduction of a new Arab character would make sense. This new Green Lantern was first introduced in The New 52 #1, which was released by DC Comics on Free Comic Book Day. Not much was revealed about this new Green Lantern in The New 52 #1, but he was engaged in a fight with Batman and other members of the Justice League. While the introduction of an Arab character might be welcomed as bringing more diversity, the portrayal of the new Green Lantern on the cover of Green Lantern #0 is generating quite a bit of controversy. If the character is an Arab, many fans are pointing out that permanent tattoos are forbidden in the Islam religion. However, others have also pointed out that the tattoo could be non-permanent, and thus permitted. It's also possible the new Green Lantern could be an Arab but not Muslim. Besides the tattoo, the fact that the new Green Lantern is holding a gun is also generating a lot of controversy. If this new Green Lantern is supposed to bring more diversity to the new DC Universe, showing the character with a gun in his hand seems to be negative way to introduce him. Regardless of the race of this new Green Lantern, another big question is why would a Green Lantern, who already wields one of the most powerful weapons in the universe in the form of a power ring, need a gun?