Dolls for Muslim Girls

Barbie can be a mother,
and a good Muslim,
married to a Salim / Saad / Sa’id, if we hold her near a flame
till her face disappears.

Dolls that look like humans,
with lips, eyes, brows, and teeth,
are haram.
Islam is not a part-time faith.

As for Peppa,
Winnie, Minnie, et cetera —
one should cut off their heads. There is nothing wrong with that.

Sahana Ahmed is a poet and novelist based in Gurugram, India. She is the author of Combat Skirts (2018) and the editor of Amity: peace poems (2022). She is the India Country Chair for World Peace at G100. For more information, please visit her website at www.sahanaahmed.com. She is on Twitter and Instagram at @schahm.

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