Sunday, March 4, 2007

The Mary Mack Controversy

I regularly play Miss Mary Mack with my 7 year old daughter. I was curious about the origin of the rhyme.

There are a number of explanations but perhaps the most interesting (if unlikely) is that Mary Mack represents Mary Magdalene. The black she's wearing is a sign of mourning and the elephants jumping is sign of resurrection.

It is apparently not the only religious interpretation of Mary Mack. There was a recent news conference with a representative of CAIR deploring the seemingly innocent rhyme:
"That this rhyme includes references to both a serious matter as a chadour - the black dress - and a ridiculous one such as elephants jumping teaches young girls not to take the proper manner of Islamic dress seriously."


Rep. John Conyers of Michigan plans to hold hearings on the New Utopia School District's policy of allowing this rhyme that demeans Islamic modesty in dress to be chanted on the grounds of its schools.