Saudis label Barbie ‘Jewish,’ offensive to Islam

SAUDI ARABIA — Barbie dolls have been deemed a “threat to morality” by the Saudi Arabian religious police, along with Valentine’s Day gifts and perfume bottles in the shape of a woman’s body. The country’s Committee for the Propagation for Virtue and Prevention of Vice said the “Jewish” dolls are offensive to Islam and must be kept out of the hands of children, the Associated Press reported.

“Jewish Barbie dolls, with their revealing clothes and shameful postures, accessories and tools are a symbol of decadence to the perverted West,” the agency said in a statement on its Web site. “Let us beware of her dangers and be careful.” Sheik Abdulla al-Merdas, a preacher in a Riyadh mosque, told the Associated Press that Saudi girls would be led astray by the dolls. Women in Saudi Arabia must wear head-to-toe cloaks and cannot go out in public by themselves. Women are also prohibited from driving.