By Written By Muslim Girl Staff, Assata Dela Cruz
The internet has been abuzz for days with the news of the release of a hijabi Barbie. Barbie, a fashion doll manufactured by the American toy company Mattel, Inc. since the 1950s, has never had a veiled woman represented until now. Aside from the usual suspects that are flooding the internet in protest over the “Sharia law” this Barbie is sure to usher in for the entire country, the public reception has mostly been overwhelmingly positive.
Muslim women are ecstatic to finally see someone that looks like them and allies are stoked to gift this Barbie to their little ones to foster conversations about diversity. Everyone wins.
Being a Black Muslim woman means to be a representation of three of the most discriminated against groups in America.
Hijab has been historically demonized in Western nations. This visible sign of faith worn by Muslim women has made us targets for harassment, ridicule, hate crimes and unfair legislation. So having Barbie, one of the most widely recognized cultural icons, being portrayed in a hijab is a major development and deserves all of the praise. However, her hijab this is not the most revolutionary aspect of this launch.
HIJABI BARBIE IS BLACK.
Modeled after Olympian Ibtihaj Muhammad, hijabi Barbie is Black, Black, Black.
Being a Black Muslim woman means being a representation of three of the most discriminated against groups in America. Not only do we not fit into mainstream American culture, which is tough enough, but we are also minorities in the Black community for being Muslim and in the Muslim community for being Black.
Black people have long felt ostracized from the Muslim community and have fought for our representation through hashtags such as #BlackOutEid by Aamina Mohamed and the creation of podcasts such as “Identity Politics” by Ikhlas Saleem and Makkah Ali. Many of us felt that these cries for inclusion had fallen on dead ears until the Barbie announcement this week.
One day as a mother, I will get to put this Barbie in their hands and show them that they can be both Black and Muslim without hesitation. They don’t have to choose. The two aren’t mutually exclusive. We exist. It’s about time we started being visually represented.
So with this, I ask you in your discussions regarding hijabi Barbie, praise her for her religious representation through hijab but please do not erase her skin. It’s Black Hijabi Barbie. Black representation matters.
Black or white, teaching children about Islam is a crime.
Islam is a code of conduct invented by the 7th Century paedophile Mohammed who raped multiple young children.
Who knows.. maybe he gave them little hijabi dolls to say sorry afterwards.
And as was stated earlier this week, Mary was 14 and Joseph was in his 20/30s? So throw those stones else where! There isn’t a religion on the planet that hasn’t had a violent past!
You have to understand one thing. This is not black and white.
Of course all religions have bad points, just as people do. But some people end up in prison.
Islam is simply the worst by a long way, to the point that it is indictable. For every nice Ani Baraka there is a bad Ani Baraka in Islam. Accordingly, most of the population of this planet would happily see Islam eradicated.
You go girl! Also, Summer Sonnet, if you hate Islam so much, why are you on a site dedicated to Islam?
Most people on the planet hate Islam. I’m just doing my bit to prevent more Islam and therefore more hatred.
Wow. That’s a bold claim. Can you cite some studies or polls for us to back up that claim? Preferably not from Fox News, as that is a biased source.
@Kieran,
I am SO excited; Ibtihaj Muhammad rocks. My daughter is interested in swordfighting so we’ve been following her sports career closely. I’ve never been a big Barbie fan but I may make an exception for this one!
Btw, pretty sure “Summer Sonnet” is GrrlPower using another name, so don’t let the trollish comments bug you! Jerks will be jerks… 😉
This woman was forced into fencing by her mother because it meant she would be completely covered.
Your child will eventually hate you for bringing them up Muslim, let alone a Muslim fencer. Sheesh, you couldn’t make it up.
I think your posturing online has made you feel more important than you really are. 😉 Personally, I prefer to listen to Ibtihaj Muhammad in her own words; she seems to know her own mind…
Islam for someone as bright as you will eventually feel like a high court judge stacking shelves in a supermarket.
The only reason you are keeping it up is to keep your kids involved in it. But they will reject it in their teenage years
You will fight them for a while, but you can’t fight your own psyche and other people too. You will wear yourself out and eventually think.
“Hey! Life’s too short. Even more so if the afterlife is highly unlikely!”
If you say so *eye roll*.
Muslims seem to do a lot of eye rolling when faced with the truth.
This is not only impolite but can result in saccades as you unnatural stretch the ocular nerve.
Your furtive, darting eyes will no doubt eventually make you resemble the greasy 7th Century Arab you worship.
Hey “Summer Sonnet” (aka GrrlPower), your racism and general shoddy behaviour are showing…once again.
Eye. Roll.
Kieran Mahon, Ani Baraka, Nichole Mendez, I’m with you about it: why does someone spend so much of his time and energy disputing folks on a website that, presumably, he wouldn’t otherwise visit? At least the rest of us are here for the articles. I guess Summer Sonnet has a sad, small life… Well, anyways, at least the rest of us can keep enjoying MuslimGirl for its great writing, profiles of inspiring people, and general awesomeness (and opportunity to laugh at the trolls lurking in the comments sections). Thanks MG!
Islam is a hateful, fascist ideology. The majority of mankind do not want it interfering with the more complex we have at this time.
Islam will destroy itself eventually anyway. Walk away girls. No second generation Muslim Girl can claim to have any self respect if she hasn’t grown out of this nonsense by her teenage years.
-your liberator
Don’t forget about the shamelessly embarrassing poems.
And while we’re spilling the beans, Suzanne Shahadah is Ilisha from Muslim extremist site Loonwatch.
And she *knows* my wife and children were killed in a terrorist attack by a white Muslim convert. Despite her guilt she still can’t bite her tongue and prevent herself rubbing my nose in it.
What are you even talking about? Why are you so messed-up?
Why d’ya wanna know? Like the cut of my jib honey pie?
What are you then? A social justice warrior defending a despicable ideology where the majority of its adherents have no intention of interacting with you, and many would like to slaughter you?
Please don’t say you’re a convert, no doubt quibbling with people on here to convince yourself you believe the Islamic bullcrap.
You’re nuts. You literally make no sense. You make racist, sexist, bigoted comments. You’re a virulent Muslim-hater, so why are you even on a Muslim website? And what is with these random comments about nonexistent poems. Ok that just means you passed out of hateful into totally lost touch with reality.
For the record I’m not Muslim (I’m basically an atheist I guess) but freaky haters like you bug me.
OK, so you’re a social justice warrior with no experience of life yet. And my ability to exercise freedom of speech bugs you. Hi!
I’m doing nothing except discrediting the hateful fascist ideology that is Islam. Muslims laugh at and disdain you as much as me.
Now, get your own train of thought and stop trolling me. Three wrongs don’t make a right. Do something to wake yourself up. I’m serious. F*** a chicken, if that what it takes. Watch a chicken f***ing a horse.
(and literally making no sense makes no sense – sorry to pick you up about your grammar, but I can and will)
Tbh “Summer Sonnet” usually (always? Ok, always) makes little to no sense. The strange comment about poetry is a bit out-there even by his weird standards, though. Did someone post a poem on here and then delete it or something?
Awww, are you desperate my poor little social justice warrior, sidling up to Muslims who would never accept you in real life.
Get a Saturday job, save up, and get your rocks off with a prostitute. You can just chat / cry on their shoulder if you want to.
And try computer games for the heroics.
Are you fucking crazy sir? How many times if ever have you read the Koran? I am an Italian-American who is a revert muslimah. How dare you say it is a crime! You coward
How many years since you reverted back to childhood rebellion?
You got about 7 years before you get bored of it, presuming you did this on your own volition.
If you were coerced by a Muslim male, then you’re just waiting for the cataclysmic event. Good luck.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/muslim-convert-mum-forbidden-seeing-11535625.amp
Nah, “Summer Sonnet” is just frustrated by his own insignificance, and trollish comments make him feel important.
Why lighten her skin like this? Too black for marketing?
pretty early for me wondering if we will have a daughter or not.
I’ve always admired Ibtihaj Muhammad ever since I first saw her as a part of the USA Olympics team because she completely destroys the Western view that Muslim women who wear the hijab are oppressed. This is also why I think it is great that the first hijab wearing Barbie doll is modelled after her. Growing up as a Muslim woman there were rarely any positive connotations of Muslim women in the media so it’s amazing to see that this stereotype is finally being broken and is reinforcing what it truly means to be a woman in Islam. I think that the main reason that this has received so much push back and negativity is because it is changing the narrative of how Muslim women have been viewed for so long, forcing people to question their judgments, something not many are willing to do. Change is always faced with resistance for that very reason; people do not like to change their views because it forces them to think outside their usual ideals and makes people question if they have been wrong in the past, and not many people like to accept that they have done something wrong that needs change because there is now a responsibility on them to educate themselves in a different manner. Besides the Barbie being modelled after a Muslim woman, it is also modelled after a black woman which is also iconic within itself. Women of color are highly underrepresented in not only the media, but also in the things children look at on a day to day basis such as characters in a children’s story book or toys. For little girls and boys to see someone who looks like them in a positive connotation has a huge impact in their self-image, which is another reason why I absolutely love that the new Barbie is not only Muslim, but also representative of a woman of color.
Yes, absolutely! And I think it’s also important for children who are white/majority-culture generally to see role models who DON’T look like them, so as to challenge and change the white-normativity of our society.
So many good reasons to be thrilled by this!