Salma, the Muslim Barbie
Categories: Alcohol & drugs, Toys & games
The doll you see pictured here may look a lot like a Barbie doll, but she sure doesn't dress like one. The doll is Salma, the brainchild of a 28-year-old Indonesian woman named Sukmawati Suryaman, who saw a need for a more appropriate version of the popular doll for young Muslim girls. "When I saw my niece playing with the Barbie doll, I thought I wish we had these dolls in traditional garb that fits our tradition. As we all know, children are easily influenced and often imitate their toys," she says.
The name Salma comes from the Arabic word "salamah", which means peace. Instead of tight and short, Salma's clothing is loose and long. She wears head scarfs and is available in 20 different outfits, from a formal black Abaya to a more festive pink and glittery number. She's becoming very popular in Indonesia and will soon be available in other Muslim countries.
I don't think you have to be Muslim to appreciate her more modest style and I think if Ellie saw this doll, she would think it was beautiful. However, I wonder what Mattel, the maker of Barbie, thinks about this. I don't know what she looks like under her dress, but her face looks exactly like Barbie.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Joy 10-12-2007 @ 1:14PM
My granddaughter would love this as well and I think it's neat to have the dolls of every nationality.
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Jeff 10-15-2007 @ 9:42AM
Is it anatomically correct - i.e. mutilated genitals?
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SKL 10-16-2007 @ 1:11AM
I hope they go the next step and have the skin color actually reflect the girls who will be playing with the dolls. I am always dismayed to see the most popular dolls in many countries are light-skinned, though the vast majority of people in those countries are dark-skinned.
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