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Iran Blast Barbie- Earlier today an Iranian official warned against importing Western toys such as the Barbie Doll calling them culturally and socially destructive. In yet more anti-Western propaganda, in the latest salvo in a more than decade-old government campaign against Barbie, Prosecutor General Ghorban Ali Dori Najafabadi said in an official letter to Vice President Parviz Davoudi that the doll and other Western toys are a “danger” that need to be stopped. In recent months the Iranian black market has been swamped with many items from the West due to increasing purchase power from oil profits. Though importing such items is not illegal, the government is considering intervention. “The irregular importation of such toys, which unfortunately arrive through unofficial sources and smuggling, is destructive culturally and a social danger,” said the letter, a copy of which was made available to The Associated Press. “The displays of personalities such as Barbie, Batman, Spiderman and Harry Potter … as well as the irregular importation of unsanctioned computer games and movies are all warning bells to the officials in the cultural arena,” claims Najafabadi (Culture: Iran Slams Barbie). This certain distaste for Western culture dates back to the mid-90s when heads of government called the Barbie a trojan horse for Western influence. Are you serious Mr. Prosecutor? Are you so far up Ahmadinejad’s ass that you don’t know left from right? Barbie, Spiderman, Batman and even jolly old Harry Potter are non-violent cultural icons that are as much a part of Western culture as art and politics. They are products of the imagination, signs of creative thinking and have looked upon as symbols of strength and happiness. Why is it that the government of Iran and other Middle East countries are so dead set against Western influence? Have you no cultural icons that indicate creative thought and individualism, or is your God against using the imagination? Baby dolls and cartoon characters are no more a threat to your culture than Western food and music. The only threat I see here is the threat of a Jihadist regime who hides the truth from its people. You harbor terrorists and use your exportation of oil to spread fear and lies in the name of Allah. Wake up Iran. Join the 21st century like the rest of the world.
