: Do Dolls Have To Wear Hijab?

The Saudi morals police formally known as “The Committee for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice,” which brought you such hits as keeping Saudi schoolgirls from escaping a burning building because they weren’t properly covered, have made the news again after declaring Barbie dolls to be a “symbol of decadence to the perverted West” (and “Jewish” as well – who knew?) and renewed a 10-year old ban on possessing the popular doll. The committee is empowered to seek out the doll in stores, confiscate them, and levy fines. Perhaps Saudi girls should look to America, where the new Razanne doll has come out – stylish hijab and all. The new doll is supposed to present a positive image of a Muslim woman, and may soon be accompanied by a “GI Joe”-style Muslim male doll. Sound threatening? Don’t worry. “It’s not going to be an Osama bin Laden action figure,” insists Razanne’s creator.

Shahed Amanullah is editor-in-chief of altmuslim.com.