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Iran
Launches Muslim Dolls To Substitute Barbie
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| Sara
(Left) to substitute western Barbie doll (Right) |
TEHRAN,
March 6 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Iran is coming up with a new
substitute for Ken and Barbie.
Dara
and Sara, the Muslim dolls, have been developed by an Iranian government agency
to promote traditional values, with their modest clothing and pro-family
backgrounds, BBC's online news service reported.
They
are widely seen as an effort to counter the American dolls and accessories that
have flooded the Iranian market.
Toy
seller, Masoumeh Rahimi welcomed the dolls, saying Barbie was "foreign to
Iran's culture" because some of the blonde dolls have revealing clothing.
She said young girls who play with Barbie could grow into women who reject
Iranian values, said BBC. "I think every Barbie doll is more harmful than
an American missile," Rahimi said.
Marketed
by the Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults
-- a government agency affiliated with the Ministry of Education -- Dara and
Sara were born as characters in school books and their lives have also grown in
stories that are being sold on cassette along with the dolls. The siblings help
each other solve problems and turn to their loving parents for guidance.
Dara
and Sara are supposed to be eight years old, young enough under Islamic law for
Sara to appear in public without a headscarf. But each of the four models of
Sara comes with a white scarf to cover her brown or black hair.
"Dara
and Sara are strategic products to preserve our national identity,” said Mehdi
Hedayat, another toy seller. "And of course, it is an answer to Barbie and
Ken, which have dominated Iran's toy market."
Some
100,000 dolls have been manufactured - in China - and each will sell for 125,000
rials ($15) compared with 332,000 rials for a genuine Barbie and 25,000 rials
for a copy.
Speaking
on the issue of Barbie dolls, Dr. Fu'aad Mekheimar, professor of Islamic Studies
at Al-A-Azhar University in Cairo, described Barbie as "purely
American".
"It
embodies popular American culture, displaying sexual attractions and being
fashion conscious. It promotes an un-Islamic way of dressing, and rather
encourages materialism and brushes aside spiritual values. Thus, it negatively
affects female Muslim children who are supposed to be brought wearing hijab and
guarding their chastity," said Mekheimar.
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