A new doll has been launched in the United Kingdom marketed for Muslim girls and in accordance with Islamic law, British Newspapers reported.
The ‘Deeni Doll’ is adorned with a traditional hijab headdress and does not have eyes, a nose, mouth or other facial features, complying with Islamic law regarding representation of the human form.
The doll, created by Ridhwana B, a Lancashire school teacher, is manufactured in China and is being sold for £25.
Ridhwana told the Lancashire Telegraph: ‘I came up with the idea from scratch after speaking to some parents who were a little concerned about dolls with facial features.’
She continued: ‘Some parents won’t leave the doll with their children at night because you are not allowed to have any eyes in the room.’
‘There is an Islamic ruling which forbids the depiction of facial features of any kind and that includes pictures, sculptures and, in this case, dolls.’
However, some critics have dismissed the doll as ‘foolish’ saying that it represents outdated views of Islam and does not acknowledge Muslims as being part of modern culture.
“The doll is a gimmick, an ultra-conservative interpretation. It is a very isolated phenomenon and with all due respect I imagine it would only appeal to a very tiny group,” Professor Fawaz Gerges, a specialist in Muslim societies and politics at London School of Economics told the Daily Mail.