First, the backstory: I have a cousin who’s currently serving in Iraq (and who, thankfully, has had a boring job thus far). On his most recent phone call home, he was talking about the local elementary school, and how they’re desperately in need of various basic school supplies. Among the items he mentioned them needing were children’s books (first grade level, or so) in English.
My mom is a retired elementary school teacher, and has oodles of children’s books around the house. She’d be only too glad to send a bunch of them off to my cousin for the Iraqi school. But she’s unfamiliar with Islamic and Iraqi mores, and doesn’t want to cause offense. A few of them, she’s already decided are inappropriate, such as one dealing with Christmas. But she wants to know if there are any other cultural issues she should be aware of. In particular, she’s wondering if there would be any problem with picture books depicting animal characters.
So, Muslim Dopers, and others familiar with the culture, is there anything in particular that Mom should be aware of?
I’m not Muslim, but I work with a guy whose wife is, and he had once said that she will not allow her children to have anything that has to do with The Muppets, because of Miss Piggy (although technically not a pig, I guess she doesn’t agree with the representation). So it may be good to avoid anything that depicts pigs.
Avoid pigs, dogs, Christmas, anything with a prominant female character, obviously pork is also a no-no. (There went “Green Eggs and Ham!”)
I’m not sure why it would be in a children’s book but anything even mentioning the Pope is a sure-fire no-no. Oh, Easter and Halloween are also bad. For the truly hard-core, things with representations of living things are also bad. You can never tell when someone might decide to worship them.
As far as I know, this ought to do it.
Why not send the whole lot, and let the kids’ parents decide which books are appropriate?
I know some Muslims in Tunisia (granted, it’s a markedly different country from Iraq) who are quite progressive, and are not offended at all at by Christmas or competent women.
Maybe I’m missing something, but isn’t the question a bit academic unless your mom has a lot of books in Arabic, or a non-negligible quantity of Iraqi first-grade school children speak English?
From what I can gather from muslim friends who have kids:
“The Little Engine That Could” would be perfect.
Books which have morals about honesty, respect, trying hard, teamwork, taking part, that sort of thing.
There is no problem with female characters, as long as there are no illustrations of them in skimpy clothing, and they show respect to their parents and elders.
Dora the Explorer, for example, would be OK with most people.
Barbie or “Minnie the Minx”, not so much.
I’d second the idea on “The Little Engine.” OTOH, the acceptability of a female hero, regardless of dress, would depend on how far they are into the religion thing. I know it would never fly in Saudi, a quick trip to the bookstore will show that much. If the Iraqi parents are more liberal, then maybe so. I hope so, anyway.
Agreed with the comments that it’s not so much about religion as culture. Stories about families, about relationships between people and respect for decisions, about right-and-wrong, are things that will be well-received. (Thomas the Tank Engine?)
Individual heroism, whether by male or female characters, is something to be avoided for two reasons - it risks getting closer to confrontational matters with religion, and also it’s worth not getting anywhere near any cult-of-personality, common to most dictators including Saddam.
The children are learning English, among other subjects, and the books in question are for the English classes.
And there is some merit in the idea of sending the lot and letting the folks over there decide, but I’m sure Mom has many other uses for kids’ books as well (if nothing else, for my nieces whom she babysits), and there’s no point in sending books overseas if they won’t be put to good use. Besides, there’s the possibility that just sending the books might be construed as offensive (certainly there are segments of American culture which would take offense at being sent “inappropriate” books).
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle. Best children’s book ever. A brave girl (guided by a pair of wise crones) singlehandedly takes on a centralized authoritarian system that turns humans into robots.
I think your approach is a good one, to be considerate of cultural norms in what you send. It might be a good idea for your son to talk with one of the Iraqi teachers and have her look over the books when they arrive before sharing them with the whole school. That way he can explain one on one that you did your best to find books that would be good for the kids, but want to double check with her.
I’m the last person to dispute your characterization of that book (except to nitpick that there are three crones, not two, and it’s not just Meg on the adventure), but it’s not really helpful, here. First of all, it’s rather above the first grade level (I first read it in fourth), and second, Mom already has a stack of books she’s looking at, sitting around the house, so suggestions of specific books don’t help much, if they happen to not be in that stack.
And Harriet, I presume you mean my cousin, not my son. I don’t have any kids of my own, and I would be very surprised indeed if I had any who were older than I ;).
I think my muslim friends who are parents must just be horribly liberal then…they’re Malaysian, Pakistani, Iraqi and Kuwaiti if it makes a difference.
Anyway, it’s all about individuals, isn’t it?
Some members of my parent’s bible study group don’t let their kids read Harry Potter, my mother got HPATHPB special order delivered to the door the day it came out, and let me read whatever I wanted as a child (literally, to the point where I read REALLY inappropriate things).
Best weed out the obviously inappropriate books and then let the teachers and parents decide what they’d like among the rest.
If she doesn’t want to send the books themselves in case they’re wasted, perhaps a description of each one highlighting anything controversial, allowing the parents to decide which books to actually send.
