Remember the Burka Barbie controversy? Well, seems she’s not the only doll to detonate a debate on the rights, wrongs and relevance of ethnic toys. UK supermarket chain ASDA hit the news around 12 months ago with the launch of its ‘Talking Muslim Doll’. The aim of the game? To help the UK’s Asian immigrant children learn Quranic Arabic….
Making Muslim Studies Fun for Asian Kids
Talking Muslim Doll costs £24.99 and comes in girl and boy versions. Aamina and Yousuf speak if you squeeze their foot. “As-Salamu’Alaikum,” says Aamina, ”my name is Aamina and I am a Muslim.” Yousuf wears a mosque cap. Both dolls utter essential Quranic words, phrases and surahs and translate the Arabic sentences into English.
The dolls are primarily aimed at Asian families that want their English-speaking children to get a handle on Arabic phrases they’re likely to hear at home or in a mosque.
Farzana Rahman, the founder of Desi Doll Company, which makes the dolls explains the raison d’etre behind the dolls to the Daily Telegraph: “I wanted to create something fun. When I was a child I went to the mosque every day, learnt my prayers and recited them. But there was nothing much fun about it.”
Everybody’s Talking…
The Talking Muslim Doll, which debuted in the Bradford branch, is just part of an extensive new range of goods launched by Asda last year to branch further into the ethnic market. The chain also launched an Asian range under the George Label, including saris, salwa kameez suits, jewellery and shawls.
West Indian hair care products, Polish mother day cards, and Indian fashion magazines also feature in the new range, which ASDA launched to extend the notable sales increase spurred by its ethnic range in 2008. Sales of Eastern European staples such as borscht, herring, sauerkraut and carp increased by 90% in ‘08, along with West Indian fruit and vegetables.
While a Talking Muslim Doll may not be everyone’s favourite plaything, I do agree with Farzana Rahman that it’s a gazillion times better for a child’s health and development than a videogame…
Have you bought a Talking Muslim Doll or know somebody who has? Please let us know what you think of it!
