Twitter Explodes as Barbie Manufacturer Unveils Its First Doll in Hijab (PHOTOS)

© AP Photo / Evan Agostini/InvisionIbtihaj Muhammad holds a Barbie doll in her likeness at the 2017 Glamour Women of the Year Awards at Kings Theatre on Monday, Nov. 13, 2017, in New York
Ibtihaj Muhammad holds a Barbie doll in her likeness at the 2017 Glamour Women of the Year Awards at Kings Theatre on Monday, Nov. 13, 2017, in New York - Sputnik International
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The company that makes the world-famous range of dolls has just welcomed a new member to its “toy family” – a Barbie in hijab, modeled after Muslim fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad. The news has split internet users in two, with some happily greeting the doll and others calling for a boycott of the brand.

Mattel, the maker of the iconic Barbie dolls, has announced plans to sell its first hijab-wearing doll. Inspired by female fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad who was the first American to compete at the Olympics while wearing a hijab and the first female Muslim to win a bronze medal at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, the toy was presented during Glamour's Women of the Year Summit on November 13 in New York City.

The new Barbie in hijab has sent the internet into a frenzy. Some users were pleased to see some diversity appear in the famous doll range, which was expanded in 2016 when Mattel introduced curvy, tall and petite body types for its dolls.

The Muhammad-inspired doll is part of the Barbie's "Shero" line, honoring female heroes — the women who break boundaries.

Meanwhile, a lot of Twitterians were disappointed by Mattel's announcement. Many users found it "offensive" and even called for boycotting the company, accompanying their tweets with #boycottmattel and #boycottbarbie hashtags.

Barbies in hijabs have been making the headlines since 2016, after a project called "Hijarbie," launched by Nigerian Muslim lifestyle blogger Haneefah Adam, gained incredible popularity on Instagram. The woman restyled the dolls as powerful Muslim women icons, with Ibtihaj Muhammad among them too.

Another Islamic doll, adorned with a traditional hijab headdress, was launched in Britain in 2014. Designed by former Muslim teacher Rishwana B, the Romeisa Deeni Doll was created faceless — with no eyes, mouth or nose in compliance with a strict interpretation of Islam that prohibits the depiction of faces.

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