Razanne Doll...
The Osgood File (CBS
Radio Network): 11/20/02
She's a doll that offers Muslim parents a modest alternative to Barbie... Move over Barbie, there's a new kid on the block. Her name is Razanne, and she's Muslim. There are now five different Razanne dolls, each emphasizing an important lesson for young Muslim girls, from the teacher and student Razanne dolls to the Razanne that comes replete with a prayer rug. Ammar Saadeh, one of the inventors of the doll and a father, says he created Razanne because there was no Barbie doll that was a positive role model for Muslim girls. Ammar and Sherrie Saadeh created Razanne as an alternative to Barbie for Muslim girls three years ago at their toy company NoorArt, based in Livonia, Michigan, outside of Detroit. Unlike Barbie, Razanne, with her modest dress and a removable hijab, exemplifies the virtues of a proper, young Muslim woman, such as modesty, piety and humility, says Ammar Saadeh. Ammar Saadeh says the Razanne Doll is more than a toy but a tool for young Muslim girls to learn the value of things like education and religious piety instead of focusing on their bodies as the most significant aspect of their lives. To underscore the important role education plays in the lives of Muslim girls and women, the Saadehs created School Razanne, who comes with a schoolbag, books and pens. Sherrie Saadeh says the doll is meant to emphasize the importance of education and that young Muslim girls can attend public school dressed in traditional Muslim attire, including a hijab, and have the confidence to succeed in their studies. Other versions of the doll include Praying Razanne, who comes with a prayer rug and a little toy Koran, and In and Out Razanne, who comes with two outfits: a western styled dress and makeup, meant to be worn casually at home, and a proper long Muslim dress and head scarf meant to be worn outside the home. Reception to Razanne has been "overwhelmingly supportive," says Ammar Saadeh, and he's sold tens of thousands of the dolls. After surveying 110 families who purchased Razanne, the toy manufacturer said parents were finding their young daughters mimicking the Islamic values the dolls were meant to reinforce. Mimo Debryn, who purchased a Razanne Doll for her 10-year-old daughter Jenna, says the doll is more than a toy – it's a teaching tool. "Every religion teaches modesty, and for Muslims too, it's important to teach our young girls this, to keep their arms and legs covered with the traditional long dress when they're in public," says Debryn.
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