My Muslim daughter loves the Tinkerbell character and all things fairy. I was not happy with this but I accepted it as part of being a young girl. Then we watched the 1st Tinkerbell movie, together. It starts by asking, “do you ever wonder…” how the sun rises, how the seasons change, what makes the leaves fall from the trees. Now my Muslim mommy antenna is up! Because there is only one answer I know as a Muslim…Allah! But no, the answer given is “it’s all the work of fairies.” The movies go on to explain that “fairies” are responsible for these things and more. I sat there thinking, crap, this is shirk! And Tinkerbell is going to have to go!
Ideas put into the minds of children are very powerful and messages internalized can stay forever. That’s why I’m trying so hard to get them to internalize love for and knowledge about Allah. I have been teaching her that Allah has power over all things and it is Allah that is responsible for all of the things she sees going on around her. Now Tinkerbell is telling her I am wrong.
I wondered…what is a fairy exactly. What kind of mythology does it come from, the origins. I found this answer on Wikipedia… “Their origins are less clear in the folklore, being variously dead, or some form of demon…”
According to Wikipedia (and other sources) fairy folklore originated in stories of demons. And although pretty in pink and purple wings now, originally they were scary troll like creatures who were either undead or demonic. Similar to what we in Islam would think of as bad jinn. Now I don’t know about you but I don’t like the idea of my daughter walking around with “bad jinn” t-shirts, backpacks and sneakers! And these fairies are on all of these items and more. Fairies are back and they are everywhere, just as cute as they can be.
I don’t imagine, that most people buying or even selling these fairy items realize the demonic connection. Certainly the children don’t. As with most demonically originated items in our culture we have forgotten the true origins and meanings behind many commonly used symbols. (like the heart and arrow symbol) So I don’t really believe that my daughter will grow up and worship the devil because she likes Tinkerbell at age 6.
What I fear most about Tink is that my daughter will grow up and realize that Tink is an imaginary character without the power to do anything. She will be taught in school, scientific explanations for the seasons changing and rain falling. And she will grow out of believing in the unseen magical world. My fear is that as she is told to explain her world through science and to grow out of belief in magical creatures, that her new cynicism will lead her to question a faith in God. Because, Allah is also unseen, powers unexplainable, something that must be taken mostly on faith. I heard an atheist on television today saying, “I am an atheiest, because I don’t believe in Santa Claus, the tooth fairy, God or any other illogical thing.” SubhanAllah! This is my fear.
I want her to believe in the unseen world. There are powerful beings and forces at work both for good and evil that we can’t see. The most powerful being God. This is my fear, with Tinkerbell flying around trivializing this FACT she may start to doubt, the real unseen world. Scary thought.
mommymuslim.wordpress.com 
In my very humble opinion. A world without imagination, is a sad world indeed. Esp for a child.There is nothing wrong with a little girl loving fairy stories. So what if the story tells her that faries are a part of nature, and have a hand in natural cycles.Relax! and breath. It will be allright. Are you realy scared of tinkerbell? Im pretty sure your god isn’t.!
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I just finished listening to an internet radio show in which the host called Tinkerbell a form of Jinn!
I then searched to see if anyone else had ever suggested this, and came to this writing.
I am a Scientologist, and what I am sure of is that the spiritual world exists. I also know that some religions teach that God is the only true spirit. Well, how does one reconcile these if one wishes to keep God (Allah) in one’s life? It is not easy.
Parents must have the freedom to raise their children as they see fit. I think most parents want to raise their children with their own religion because they believe it will help them fit into their culture, into society, to help them cope with life, and to make good moral decisions. But in the end, when the child grows up it must be free to believe as it wishes. Why give parents the freedom to teach their religion to their children then turn around to their grown up children and tell them they don’t have the freedom to alter their beliefs as they see fit? I know this may not make sense to everyone.
I have no personal knowledge about the Jinn (fairies, etc.). But I allow those ideas into my life now because of what I learned as an adult, not while I was a child. My parents were atheists and believed in no spiritual existence at all. Many of my peers still hold to that belief. To me, believing in at least one spirit (the one God) is better than believing in none at all! And of course, the tales of Jinn express an awareness that there are other spirit-like entities in the world. So if you believe in Jinn, you are even further along, in my mind!
The traditional religions we teach today were developed hundreds of years ago. All I can say is: It is possible that our awarenesses about life have changed since those times; even about such basic things as God. You should control what you teach your child now. But, as is obvious from your discoveries about “fairies,” others live on this planet who have different ideas about what children should learn. I know if I were teaching a child today I would do my best to give that child the ability to be strong in his or her own convictions, perceptions, and decisions. To my mind there is no substitute for inner strength.
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