A journalist recently called to ask what I thought about the Muslim barbie doll, which is properly veiled and covered up in the Islamic tradition. Doesn't it offer the veiled child something she can relate to?
Please I said:
When a slave child has a slave doll to relate to;
When a child labourer has a doll which comes complete with a sweatshop;
When a girl who has been genitally mutilated has a doll with mutilated genitals;
and when a child 'bride' has a baby barbie doll dressed in white to relate to;
Then, I suppose, this veiled doll will also make sense...
That is, of course, if and when we have reverted back to the Middle Ages and full on barbarity.
The doll may help parents, the parasitic imams or Islamic states and groups impose the hejab on some girls but that does not change the undeniable fact that child veiling is nothing but child abuse.
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To find out more on why I think child veiling is child abuse, click here.
To read Mansoor Hekmat's In Defence of the Prohibition of the Islamic Veil for Children, click here. It is a brilliant defence of the child. You can skip the first few paragraphs and get right into the crux of his argument.
Maryam Namazie
12 comments:
Good post. Ok to copy it on my blog.
Your last post got my blog more hits, than any I ever done.
Your commentary was very profound and provided quite vivid imageries. Which also provoked more questions in my mind regarding an appropriate image (represented by) a doll/toy for a child.
Knowing that dolls are arbitrary gifts given by adults to children - It is only natural behavior that adults tend to buy a doll made in an image that often represents their own race, culture, language, religion, sexuality, life style and ... let us not forget that dolls play an important role in communicating with children, especially in the fileds of education and psychotherapy - which behooves us to create dolls in every image of every creature, nationality, gender, age, race and.... living in our universe.
I believe an added response to the question presented by that journalist should have been as follows:
As long as the Islamic Barbie doll comes equipped with a removable veil and articles of clothing and enables the child to dress the doll the way she/he desires, I see nothing wrong with marketing it.
Warmly,
Simin
When a girl who has been genitally mutilated has a doll with mutilated genitals;
Have you ever looked at the genital area of dolls/action figures? There´s not much there to be mutilated. Or they come pre-done. Or something. ;)
No Barbie doll received by either of my daughters ever remained clothed for more than 5 minutes.
I am opposed to forcing any child to wear anything that puts them at risk for accidents or keeps them from having the freedom to play and participate in sports and I can certainly see where a veil and long dress and head covereing would be intrusive. I am also opposed to selling toys that force a child to lock in on only one way of thinking and relating to who they are which is why I am in favor of banning all Barbies. Who has those breasts and that waist and that perfect little nose and long legs? No one, they are not realistic but they do impose that idea of what a female is supposed to look like and that imposed idea comes not in their teens or preteens, but when they are children. So ban the Barbie, I say.
most of your posting are onesided and they only show what is wrong. You should write bothsides of the story(i.e).
Well I see this And I have to say ,
Please I said:
When a slave child has a slave doll to relate to; ,,,, When you say Slave ,Do you mean Slave of Fashion !
When a child labourer has a doll which comes complete with a sweatp ..We all clean our house ! dont we?
When a girl who has been genitally mutilated has a doll with mutilated genitals;
and when a child 'bride' has a baby barbie doll dressed in white to relate to; I bet you will prefer A Divorce Barbie Free and wild ,Right!
Then, I suppose, this veiled doll will also make sense...Now I tell you where this veil Do make sense ,,,The little innocent mind of that children is goin to realise by her self that civilized people dont run arround naked showing parts of their body to every to every one....................
http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=21351773&postID=115036070066503155&isPopup=true
That is, of course, if and when we have reverted back to the Middle Ages and full on barbarity. I think barbarity is to close your eyes to the fact that evry moment their is more prostitution and immorality growing.....what do u call that open minded people no madam that is just going out of control like babrbarins.....
Very poetic, but sadly, not true. I was never veiled as a child or an adult until recently and I think it can help childing realize that one doesn't always get ahead, or shouldn't get ahead because of showing skin or waering revealing clothes. This doll simply says: "it's okay to be different and have your own values." People who are completely against veiling and coving surprise me when they consider themselves "civilized" when in truth, civilization has A LOT to do with accepting others and NOT BEING IGNORANT!
You give these drastic examples in comparison to... the Muslim Barbie doll. Have you seen a picture of the Muslim Barbie? She isn't wearing a burka! She's wearing a head scarf, a long sleeve shirt, and long pants. I don't know how it's like in London, but here in NYC, many Muslim women choose to dress in their traditional Muslim clothing, which you seem to consider as a step back into "the Middle Ages and full on barbarity." My close friend is a devote Muslim, and only in the recent years followed the Muslim religion. Before, she was a secular, NYC college student. It was her choice to wear a headscarf and cover her legs and arms, because it's her culture and her religion. By your standards, anyone who doesn't want to wear spaghetti-strap tank tops and short shorts is barbaric. I think you should stop generalizing, which is the first step to bigotry, and remember that a Muslim woman created the Muslim Barbie doll. I wouldn't be surprised if you thought all Muslims are terrorists too. I'm not even Muslim or Middle Eastern, and your comments annoy me!
...and what makes YOU or Hekmat SO qualified to criticize veiling/Islam?
you comments annoy me!!!!!!
it's not right to criticize things you know nothing about :(
I am a MUSLIMAH and I also have a FOUR year old daughter we both wear the traditional HIJAB!I wear all black and the NIQAB which is the veil. My daughter has been in FULL HIJAB w/o the VEIl since the tender age of 3 months old!! I dress in her beautiful bright colors until she reaches puburity.I LOVE what my HIJAB represents IT says that I am modest and that I LOVE ALLAH(SWT) more than what you think of me!! I seek refuge will ALLAH(SWT) from all of the ignorant comments that some of you people posts!I can't understand why you think it,s okay for women,men and children to walk around exposing themselves with clothing that says I have no respect for myself let alone anyone else.I suggest that you learn what values and morals are then pass it on to your children and then and maybe they too can pass it on!
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