Hi Barbie
Hi Ken!
Do you wanna go for a ride
Sure Ken!
Jump In...
I'm a barbie girl, in a barbie world
Life in plastic, it's fantastic!
You can brush my hair, undress me everywhere
Imagination, life is your creation
Come on Barbie, let's go party!
(Barbie Girl, Aqua)
Following the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington, an unprecedented gush of anti-Islam sentiments burst out not only in the United States, but also throughout the entire world.
It seems that all Moslems were categorized as "terrorists" or potential "terrorists" in the eyes of Western viewers. Consequently, Muslim leaders, preachers, opinion-leaders and followers embarked on an all-out-war in the defense of Islam and the values it represents.
Within this framework, aside from defending the main principles and spirit of Islam, many Muslim academics and policy-makers promoted the idea of seizing the moment to educate the world and enlighten it with the true foundations inherent in Islam.
Interestingly, the flood of anti-Islam feelings throughout the world brought forth another remarkable development, related, of course, to the notion of defending Islam -– that of enhancing the dignity and self-confidence in the younger generations of Muslim society.
Besides educating Muslim youngsters and teens by use of books, films, television programs and the like, it seems that even basic items such as toys play a key role in serving the cause of enriching the socialization process towards its goal.
Recently, the Saudi Kingdom's religious police have declared Barbie dolls a threat to morality, complaining that the revealing clothes of the "Jewish" toy - already banned in Saudi Arabia for over a decade - are offensive and insulting to Islam. Goodbye Barbie. Hello Razanne!
Instead, an alternative doll, named Razanne has taken Barbie's traditional place and is marketed and sold throughout the United States, Canada, Singapore and Germany and soon will be sold in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain.
I'm a blond bimbo girl, in a fantasy world
Dress me up, make it tight, I'm your dolly
You're my doll, rock'n'roll, feel the glamour in pink,
Kiss me here, touch me there, hanky panky...
You can touch, you can play, if you say: 'I'm always yours'
Razanne, whose name means Islamic beauty and modesty, makes a pleasant playmate and provides the ideal role model for little Muslim girls. Parents are pleased to have an Islamic alternative to the flashy and provocative Barbie doll.
The Saudi religious police, also widely known as the Committee for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, list the Barbie dolls on a section of its website devoted to items deemed offensive to the Saudi Arabian interpretation of Islam.
"Jewish Barbie dolls, with their revealing clothes and shameful postures, accessories and tools are a symbol of decadence to the perverted West. Let us beware of her dangers and be careful," said a poster on the site.
Similar posters are handed out to schools and hung in the streets by the religious police.
Come on Barbie, let's go party!
(Ah-ah-ah-yeah)
Come on Barbie, let's go party!
(uu-oooh-u)
Come on Barbie, let's go party!
(Ah-ah-ah-yeah)
Come on Barbie, let's go party!
(uu-oooh-u)
A preacher in a Riyadh mosque said the religious police had taken their anti-Barbie campaign to the shops, confiscating dolls from sellers and imposing fines.
Although illegal, Barbie dolls, the creation of California-based Mattel, can be easily found and bought on the black-market, for a price of 100 Riyals or more.
"It is no problem that girls play with dolls. But these dolls should not have the developed body of a woman and wear revealing clothes," the preacher said. "These revealing clothes will be imprinted in their minds and they will refuse to wear the clothes that we are used to as Muslims."
Make me walk, make me talk, do whatever you please
I can act like a star, I can beg on my knees
Come jump in, bimbo friend, let us do it again,
Hit the town, fool around, let's go party
You can touch, you can play, if you say: 'I'm always yours'
You can touch, you can play, if you say: 'I'm always yours'
Razanne comes with a removable hijab, so that little girls can comb her hair. Five different Razanne dolls are available - - School, Prayer time, Teacher, Inside/Outside and Play day.
Razzane, with her long-sleeved dresses, hijab - or Muslim head scarf - and, by creator Ammar Saadeh's own admission, a less-than-flattering bust-line, Razanne is all about modesty and piety.
Muslim parents take pride in the fact that Razanne resembles the majority of Muslim females and as such, their children can easily relate to her.
"The main message we try to put forward through the doll is that what matters is what's inside you," said Saadeh, who, with his wife and a few other investors, established NoorArt Inc. In Michigan, the Livonia-based company, founded some seven years ago, sells the Razanne doll and other toys geared toward Moslem children.
Unlike Barbie's curvy figure and sexy appearance, Razanne was given the body of a pre-teenager. The doll comes either as a fair-skinned blond, olive-skinned with black hair or black skin and black hair.
Oh, I'm having so much fun!
Well Barbie, we're just getting started
Oh, I love you Ken
What sets Razanne apart from the few competitors is that she "holds a global appeal for Muslim girls," said Saadeh.
It should be noted that Mattel, which makes Barbie, markets a Moroccan Barbie and sells a collector's piece named Leyla in the Girls From Around the World collection. Leyla's elaborate costume and tale of being taken as a slave in the court of a Turkish sultan is intended to portray the trials and tribulations of one Moslem girl in the 1720s.
"It's no surprise that they'd try to portray a Middle Eastern Barbie either as a belly dancer or a concubine," said Saadeh, who added that countering such stereotypes was one of the main goals in developing Razanne. "It doesn't matter if you're tall or short, thin or fat, beautiful or not, the real beauty seen by God and fellow Muslims is what's in your soul," Saadeh conveyed.
Razanne's ambitions are those of a modern Muslim woman. In the future, there are plans for a Dr. Razanne and possibly even Astronaut Razanne.
Razanne serves as just one example of how ordinary people can lift up the self-respect of Muslim children all over the world. Even though it may seem a "small step" in the long struggle facing the Muslim people to "clear their name" and elevate their self-importance, it is vital that everyone in their own field do their utmost to promote the dignity of Muslims worldwide and strengthen feelings of honor and respect so well-deserved. (Albawaba.com)
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
