Following are excerpts from an interview with Majid Qadiri, head of the toy department at the Iranian Center for Early Childhood Development, which aired on Al-Alam TV on January 25, 2012:

Majid Qadiri: [Toys] have an evident influence on children. [It is harmful] to dress dolls in the best clothes of the best quality, in keeping with the culture that children see in cartoons and in the cinema. But if these are in keeping with our national and Islamic ideology, [our children] will not be subject to a cultural invasion.

This is what the Islamic world is dealing with today. It has been invaded by foreign dolls and toys, like Barbie dolls and others, which are sold to children. These dolls should not be bought, because they have an impact on the mentality of children, and when these children reach adolescence and can choose for themselves, they will find themselves in a situation where the invading culture is dominant.

Interviewer: You mentioned, for example, Barbie dolls, which are very popular in our society. How have the dolls you manufacture been received by children and parents?

Majid Qadiri: We concentrate on making Iranian dolls. It should be pointed out that it is forbidden to bring Barbie dolls into this country. We don't want to import other dolls to Iran either. If you find these dolls in Iranian markets, they must have been smuggled in. We want to create an environment that is appropriate for children, in which they can benefit from playing with dolls with value in the cultural sense. This can give a boost to culture among children, who will not be influenced by the imported culture.

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