Now
the Barbie-lookalike "Jenna" doll, which she designed from
scratch to recite four chapters from the Quran, has entered mass
production and is on sale in Gulf Arab countries.
"When my daughter Jenna turned two years old, I was looking for
a toy or a tool," Amarir said.
"The idea was to come up with a toy that would enable her to
learn the Quran fast and easily while she plays."
Jenna, with a name derived from the Arabic word for heaven,
comes dressed in a lengthy "abaya" robe with a matching purple
headscarf.
Designing the doll using online modeling software, Amarir
decided to give it a dark skin tone and little makeup.
"For me it was important that the doll would show something my
daughter can recognize herself in, or recognize her mother at
least," she said.
The four chapters that Jenna recites are short and designed to
be easy for a child to memorize. Within days of beginning to
play with the doll, she began reciting verses.
Amarir and family have moved from their home in France to the
United Arab Emirates to market the doll in the wealthy and
religiously conservative Gulf.
After four years and many flights to Chinese factories to get
the doll produced, she launched Jenna earlier this year in Saudi
Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain and the UAE.
[© 2017 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2017 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
|
|