Now THESE are interesting

WARNING:  This post is gonna go heavy on religion.  Don't read if you're bothered by that.  And if I say anything ignorant, please POLITELY let me know in the comments and I'll fix it.  Thanks!

I saw one of these on the blog Ana Caldatto, and my interest was piqued because one doesn't see too many dolls like this in the States...and because Ramadan started at sundown on February 28th this year.  Timing is pretty good for me to see these, LOL.  These are Salam Sisters; from left, they are Layla, Karima, Yasmina, Nura, and Maryam.  

These dolls have been available since...2018???????  Where on Earth have I been???  They all come conservatively dressed with their own hijab (Karima and Maryam are not wearing theirs above), and they have their own individual personalities, because all good dolls this size do.

*LAYLA likes fashion, sewing, and repurposing old clothes into new clothes.  She's good at math (maths) and likes to garden.  Herbs and (mmmm) strawberries are her specialty.  She owns a cat named Kiya who "helps" her garden.
*KARIMA likes history, outer space, and sports.  Tennis appears to be her favorite sport, but she also likes archery, building obstacle courses, and...is camping a sport?  Either way she likes camping and stargazing.  
*YASMINA...hmmm, that name sounds familiar!  Yasmina likes photography, reading, volunteering, and her horse, Lily.  She's a member of her student council and likes organizing fundraisers for charities and "other special events."
*NURA likes everything STEM, puzzles, and mystery novels, and inventing stuff, though she admits that her inventions are kinda crazy.  She also likes to play with her parrot Zuzu and ride her bike, and she likes to create her own nasheeds.  She's working hard to memorize the Quran, which is gonna be a big job for a girl her age!  I remember what it was like having to memorize Bible verses when I was a kid, and some of those verses are a lot to remember.  I love her pink hijab!
*MARYAM is artsy; she enjoys drawing, painting, designing, and building.  She's learning to code, likes video games, and likes to swim at the beach.  Her friends and family describe her as "patient."

Why am I making a big deal about these, you ask?  Because like I said above, it isn't every day one sees a doll depicting a Muslim girl here in the U.S.  Ever since 9/11 American Muslims have had to watch their butts, which is too bad.  I'm always begging people not to judge Christians based on the behavior of those Westboro Baptist Church idiots, and I figure the Muslim contingent has to do the same because of their nutty splinter groups.  So the U.S. doesn't have a lot of dolls like the Salam Sisters.  There was Shola, one of the Hearts 4 Hearts Girls, with her beautiful amber eyes and her leggings that she didn't come with (prototype image, left), and American Girl made an outfit celebrating Eid al Fetr (right), but that's all I can name ATM.

Oh yeah, there's also the Saudi anti-Barbie, Fulla.  I think Fulla is fascinating, and I may do a post on her in the future.  

The Salam Sisters appear to be eighteen inches tall like the American Girls, and their head molds vary.  I don't like Maryam's head much...or maybe it's her eyes that are too light.  Or maybe it's the teeth.  Either way I'm not a big fan of Maryam's appearance, though I love her backstory.

My favorite of the five is the bespectacled one, Layla, though I do have to wonder why she's the blonde, blue-eyed one.  "Layla" means "dark."  See Layla's hair?

Oh well, I've known people of color named "Blanche," so there you go.  The name "Layla" can also mean "born at night," which may be the case with Layla.  It's a nice name, regardless.  I much prefer Layla in her hijab, though.  It's a lovely shade of yellow, kinda like the flowers that are starting to pop out here in the Bootheel.

Muslima are not required to wear hijab 100% of the time until they hit puberty, but when it's time for prayer their heads have to be covered, period.  They also must cover in the presence of men who are...non-mahram, though I've known some Muslima that are more liberal and didn't give a crap if their heads were covered around strangers.  On the opposite end of the spectrum, some girls cover their heads at all times, even around an all-girl setting.  It's kinda up to the individual...and the country that one lives in.  Likely if I owned one of these dolls I'd leave her in her hijab, both out of respect for the religion she depicts and because she looks cute that way.

These are interesting little dolls, and educational for an ignant bumpkin like me.  I've known Muslims before, but not on a super-close level, close enuff that I felt comfortable asking questions.  I'd love to review Layla, but NO BUYING RIGHT NOW!!!  So have any of y'all heard of these, or have y'all been living under a rock like me?

Cheers,
RagingMoon1987