Yes, that's a real doll there on the left.I am definitely buying one of these for one of my daughters, given the chance. No, I dont want her to grow up to become encased in a bhurka. But isnt it a nice change from Street-Walking Barbie over there and the infamous "Cock-Ring" Ken? And isnt diversity supposed to be the thing that makes America strong?
On the other hand, perhaps it's not a good idea to lend any support to a religious movement (okay, culture) that's already gone way overboard with restrictions on people (especially women). I want to keep my daughters safe from harm (when dating time rolls around I guess I'll have to go and buy a shotgun), but I want them to be safe because, a) they themselves are capable of thinking safely, and b) all boys within a 20-mile radius have been gelded. Since I'm unlikely to get my second wish, I'll have to trust in item "a" (and satellite tracking devices).
And after all, isnt one of the tests of parenthood (the Final, one might say), how well they handle themselves out on their own. If you cannot, ultimately, let go, what does that say about your confidence in your own child-rearing skills?
Meanwhile, in the middle east, parents have perhaps (perhaps - are you familiar with Bratz) chosen to put their child-rearing faith in religion (or government), hopefully in a way that's more about raising the quality of entertainment (sexual-innuendo-free toys) rather than raising the ignorance level (if you cannot see a woman's legs, then they do not exist). No probably not. Why should Muslim fundamentalists be any different from our own?
Of course, the West has been through periods of sexual denial also. We still havent quite recovered from the Victorian period, have we, despite the Sexual Revolution? Not that the Victorian Period was as pure as "history" makes it out to be.
Anyway, back to Fulla (a type of Jasmine), as the middle-eastern Barbie (not actually made by Mattel) is named.
Though Fulla will never have a boyfriend doll like Barbie's Ken, there will soon be a Doctor Fulla and a Teacher Fulla, as those are two respected careers for women in the Middle East. In Damascus, the capital of Syria, a Fulla doll sells for about $16 in a country where average per capita income is only around $100 per month. And yet, Fulla flies off the shelves. She gives girls a more Islamic character to follow, which their parents want. Besides, if the girls put scarves on their dolls when they're young, it might make it easier when their time comes. (from: old/jfdaily)
Well, thank goodness for that, so maybe she'll never wind up like this on the left, though she may end up like this here on the right (so to speak)...One last point, here. If Muslim kids are anything like my own daughters, it doesnt matter how one dresses them. Within days, the poor doll will be naked, with her uncovered and immodest hair most likely butchered as only a blunt pair of construction paper scissors is capable of butchering. Where's the proper lady-like behavior then?
2 comments:
oh you getting a linky do for this one. yasir.
Thank you for your informative blog.
I have to point out however that Islam has a more realsitic approach to sexula desire than many other popular religions.
You are probably not aware that Islam acknowledges sexual desire while Chistianity, for instance, does not.
While not everyone has the capacity to understand another's religion, perhaps it may be better to enquire before making sweeping statements.
The Demonisation of Islam continues by images and comments such as the one pictured in your blog.
I wonder just when people may wake up and realise that the West cannot blame one religion for all its ills, though it makes a darn good cover for the multinationals to do whatever they want to do.
As you have spent this energy writing about the Fulla toy, perhaps you may be encouraged to look a little more closely at the values and finance involved with promoting Barbie etc.
America is the only country that went from barbarism to decadence without civilization in between.
Oscar Wilde
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