If a young Muslim girl wants to play with a faceless doll because it's intrinsic to her faith, for example, that should be no-one's business but her own.īut there are fears that sharia is creating a parallel legal system, and getting in the way of social integration. It's difficult to address sharia without infringing on that liberty. It poses dilemmas.īritain is a democracy that prides itself on allowing full religious freedom. Meanwhile, Germany is currently seeing a burgeoning anti-sharia movement. In a recent poll, forty per cent of Muslim Britons said they liked the idea of sharia being applied in parts of Britain: it's a defence of their faith against erosion from a secular surrounding culture. That's partly because sharia, the Islamic code of behaviour and law, has become an electric term in the language of British - and European - politics. Yet Ridhwana seems to be causing more of an outcry. They speak various phrases - in Arabic - if you squeeze their foot, like "My name is Aamina and I am a Muslim". About eighteen inches tall and available in male and female versions, his dolls have big Disney-style eyes, broad smiles and they wear Western-style clothes with the odd Muslim flourish - the boy doll, for instance, wears a mosque cap. Indeed, children have always played with dolls that are religiously themed.Ī former Goldman Sachs banker recently created a "Talking Muslim Doll". A recent sociological study says that's because the Amish believe "all are alike in the eyes of God" - and, as with sharia guidelines, the lack of facial features agrees with the Bible's commandment against graven images. Amish children also play with featureless - and usually hairless - dolls. The requirement that dolls be faceless is not restricted to the Muslim faith. But her doll has already sparked controversy. Ridhwana B says she's simply catering to a need. There's clearly an appetite for ready-made alternatives. So it's therefore OK for the "Deedi Doll" to have a human body, and normal clothes.Ĭertain religious authorities have suggested that observant Muslims burn the faces off their dolls - so their children can comply with sharia and still have something to play with. They're thought to have a valuable social purpose, teaching young girls how to care for children and livestock. There is also the notion that Allah is the sole Creator and it's over-reaching for man to try to imitate this.Ĭreating dolls with a human or animal outline has explicit exemption from the rules - providing they have no features - on the basis of stories that the Prophet Muhammad's wife, Aisha, played with dolls. The teaching is thought to stem from the belief that man should not create or worship idols - that man-made depictions may lead to false worship, or distract people from their focus on Allah. It's an interpretation known as aniconism, which teaches devout Muslims to avoid depictions of humans and animals, in any medium. Ridhwana says there's an Islamic ruling which forbids the depiction of facial features. The Islamic range in kids' toys is quite limited at the moment, with few choices." Speaking to her local paper, Ridhwana B said: "Some parents won't leave a doll with their children at night because you are not allowed to have any eyes in the room. Named "Romeisa" - after a companion of the prophet Muhammad - the doll retails at £25.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |