Ardian Syaf
In April 2017 he became embroiled in controversy for inserting hidden anti-semitic and anti-Christian messages in X-Men Gold #1, for which his contract with Marvel Comics was terminated.
[8] At one point Syaf met an Irish screenwriter named Catie through Dabel Brothers, through which began to get work with Marvel Comics,[4] his earliest book assignments involving the sharing of penciling duties with other artists, such as Jorge Molina on X-Men: Manifest Destiny: Nightcrawler #1 (May 2009), and Leonard Kirk on Captain Britain and MI13 #13 and 14 (July, August 2009).
That contract ended in September 2011, though he indicated that it would be renewed, and that he would be drawing the Batgirl series as part of the company's 2011 reboot of its books, The New 52,[11][12] working with writer Gail Simone.
[23][24][25][26] In a 27 September 2016 speech Basuki stated that some citizens were being discouraged from voting for him by politicians citing Verse 51 of the fifth chapter of the Quran out of context for political reasons.
"[19][28] Citizens and pundits reacted to Basuki's statement as an insult to the Quran,[27] in part because one of the videos of the speech uploaded to the Internet was edited in a way that changed the meaning of his words.
[29][30][31][32] Although Basuki publicly apologized for offending anyone with the remark, the resulting outcry over it led to calls for him to be arrested and prosecuted under laws prohibiting insult to religion.
It also sparked protests, led by the hardline group Islamic Defenders Front (FPI),[26][33] including one on 2 December 2016,[34] which was attended by Syaf, who called it "memorable".
This led to an outcry on social media on Saturday, April 8, three days after the book's publication, by readers who viewed the verse as support of intolerance towards other religions.
[37][38] Syaf was also angrily denounced by Marvel writer G. Willow Wilson, a Muslim herself, who wrote an essay elucidating the verse and warning of the danger of the conservative Indonesian interpretation of it.
[39] Regarding the meaning of these details in his artwork, Syaf cautioned against believing what is read on social media, but encouraged readers to buy the issue, as it would become a rare collectible.
[40] He eventually acknowledged the political nature of the hidden messages,[39] though he denied that they were an expression of intolerance on his part, stating, "I don't hate Jews and Christians...
[41] Marvel Comics released the following statement in response to the controversy:[37][39] The mentioned artwork in X-Men Gold #1 was inserted without knowledge behind its reported meanings.
The writer of the series, Marc Guggenheim, who is himself Jewish, responded to the situation on Saturday by referring readers to Marvel's statement, and tweeting, "The support has been amazing.
On his Facebook page, he posted a photo of himself posing with Rizieq Shihab, the founder and leader of the hardline Islamic Defenders Front (FPI),[44] a former urban vigilante organization[45] turned pressure group that has been criticized for religious and racial propaganda,[46] hate crimes, discrimination against minority groups and religious intolerance,[47][48] and which led the anti-Basuki protests.
