Middle East News
Iran's prosecutor warns of 'negative impact' of Western toys
Apr 27, 2008, 23:37 GMT
Teheran - Iran's prosecutor general on Sunday warned of the 'negative impact' which Western toys could have for Iranian children, ISNA news agency reported.
Qorban-Ali Dori-Najafabadi said the mainly illegally-imported toys such as Barbie, Batman, Harry Potter and Spiderman might cause 'irreparable (cultural) damage.'
In a letter to Vice President Parviz Davoudi, the ultra- conservative cleric called on the government to find alternatives for what he called the 'cultural offensive.'
Iranian clergy have warned in the last three decades of a 'Western cultural invasion' in the form of movies, music andr fashion, and tried to confront it - so far with little success.
In an effort to counter highly popular Barbie dolls, Iran in 1996 began producing an Islamic version named Sarah and her brother Dara, but these found little resonance among Iranian children.
The Institute for Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults at that time even compared Barbie dolls with the 'Wooden Horse of Troy, with many cultural invading soldiers inside it'.
Despite the counter-measures, Western articles - especially music CDs and DVDs of US movies - have boomed in Iran, especially on the black market where they are available at prices ranging between one and two US dollars.
© Deutsche Presse-AgenturCOMMENT
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Older Talkback
page: 1
..Iranian authorities, who execute gays, or folks who convert to Christianity, seem to think western toys represent a threat....?
Well, no one I ever met died from a Barbie doll....
Zionists are so much concerned about converted Christians if any in Iran however forgetting how they are treated in Palestine. Regulations on imported capital and consumer goods are very important. We should stop them as western countries have stopped offering high tech products to us. We would like to share science and technology not Barbie dolls.
'We would like to share science and technology not Barbie dolls.'
Try joining civilization first.
page: 1
lanceApr 28th, 2008 - 01:01:01
Well ... actually they do have reason for concern. Many Americans think the fall of the Soviet Union was due to arm race and cold war tactics. But, in actuality it was do to innovation in consumer electronics and media and entertainment infiltration.
Eventually (if the U.S. does not provoke them by nuking them and hence galvanize them) Iranians will be defeated too. And they shall be polarized the same way the U.S. is: Fox News on one side and CNN and the Daily Show on the other side.
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