Iran Launches Jihad against Barbie

Iran's religious rulers declared Barbie, an un-Islamic doll decade ago, but as tensions with the West increase a new crackdown is underway.

While the doll, made by U.S. company Mattel Inc was first declared un-Islamic in 1966, it was until recently openly on sale in many Tehran shops.

However Barbie is now under threat since as following the increase of tensions between Iran and the West, the country's moral police have now decided to re-launch a campaign against the doll's "destructive cultural and social consequences".

In a report Reuters say shopkeepers have been asked to remove all Barbies from their shelves.

Restrictions were first issued three weeks ago, after shopkeepers were warned they had to "to hide the leggy, busty blonde behind other toys as a way of meeting popular demand for the dolls while avoiding being closed down by the police", the report says.

In order to curb the demand for the American doll, two other dolls, Sara a female version and Dara a male version, which are more in accordance with Islamic culture, were launched in 2002.

The dolls are dressed in traditional style, with Sara wearing a headscarf to cover her hair.

The more "Iranian" toys have it seems failed to impress some of the kids with a mother telling Reuters: "My daughter prefers Barbies. She says Sara and Dara are ugly and fat,"

Sara and Dara will soon be followed by a new toy, Iranian media reported, as a version of the US spy drone recently captured by Teheran should also soon hit the shelves.