Posted on Wed, Oct. 08, 2003
Doll offers modest image for Muslim girls
TAREK EL-TABLAWY
Associated Press
LIVONIA,
Mich.
At first glance, this new girl on the block doesn't
give Barbie much of a run for her money. After all, Barbie is everything Razanne
is not - curvaceous, flashy and loaded with sex appeal. But that's exactly why
many Muslim Americans prefer Razanne, with her long-sleeved dresses, head scarf
and, by her creator Ammar Saadeh's own admission, a not-so-buxom bustline. For
Saadeh, the doll not only fills a marketing void but also offers Muslim girls
someone they can relate to. "The main message we try to put forward through
the doll is that what matters is what's inside you, not how you look," said
Saadeh, who set up NoorArt Inc. with his wife and a few other investors.
The Livonia-based company, founded about seven years ago, sells the Razanne
doll and a number of other toys geared toward Muslim children.
"It doesn't matter if you're tall or short, thin or fat, beautiful or not, the
real beauty seen by God and fellow Muslims is what's in your soul," he said.
Razanne has the body of a preteen. The doll comes in three types: fair-skinned
blonde, olive-skinned with black hair, or black skin and black hair. Her aspirations
are those of a modern Muslim woman. On the drawing board for future dolls are
Dr. Razanne and possibly even Astronaut Razanne. There's also Muslim Girl Scout
Razanne, complete with a cassette recording of the Muslim Scout's oath. What
sets Razanne apart from her few competitors is that she "holds a global appeal
for Muslim girls," Saadeh said.
That image encouraged Mimo Debryn, of West Bloomfield Township, to buy the doll
for her daughter, Jenna, four years ago. "Razanne looks like the majority of
women around Jenna," said Debryn. "She loves that doll and always took care
of her, giving Razanne a special place in her room, treating her with respect.
"Jenna never tried to take Razanne's hijab (head scarf) off, though Barbie was
usually stripped naked," she said as her daughter, 11, curled up on the couch
and smiled. In the United States, Mattel, which makes Barbie, markets a Moroccan
Barbie and sells a collector's doll named Leyla. Leyla's elaborate costume and
tale of being taken as a slave in the court of a Turkish sultan are intended
to convey the tribulations of one Muslim girl in the 1720s.
"It's no surprise that they'd try to portray a Middle Eastern Barbie either
as a belly dancer or a concubine," said Saadeh, adding that countering such
stereotypes was one of his main aims in developing Razanne. Mattel didn't respond
to repeated calls seeking comment. Laila, the Arab League's answer to Barbie,
offered girls of the league's 22-member states a culturally acceptable alternative
to Barbie's flashy lifestyle. But she never made it to store shelves. Sara and
Dara were launched a couple of years ago - Iran's version of Barbie and her
beau, Ken. The two were offshoots of a children's cartoon in Iran. But Saadeh
said those dolls are more "cultural and don't have mass appeal in the Middle
East." Saadeh hopes to capture that market. Razanne will soon be marketed in
Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and make greater inroads in southeast Asia.
The doll is sold throughout the United States, Canada, Singapore and Germany.
Saadeh would not reveal the doll's sales figures, but he said retail sales over
the company's Web site account for a majority of the almost 30,000 dolls sold
per year. Prices range from $9.99 for a single doll to $24.99 for a set like
Teacher Razanne that includes a briefcase and other accessories. Saudi Arabia's
religious police recently declared Barbie dolls a threat to morality, complaining
that the revealing clothes are offensive to Islam. Saudi Arabia and other Middle
Eastern countries likely would be attracted to Praying Razanne, who comes complete
with a long hijab and modest prayer gown. Lest people think that she's all about
praying, there's In-Out Razanne, whose wardrobe also includes a short, flowery
dress she can wear inside the home, in view only of men in her family.
"Razanne represents to Muslim girls that they have options, goals and dreams
and the ability to realize them," said Debryn. Jenna, who recently donned the
veil after much soul-searching, said Razanne makes her "feel more comfortable
about being a Muslim girl."
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