Muslim Massacre is a game which puts players in control of a soldier whose mission it is to rid the world of every last Muslim. Nice. The Internet-only game caused controversy amongst the Muslim population and has now been pulled from the website. In its place is a grovelling apology from the creator of the game. But is it genuine or merely some cowardly backtracking?
Last week saw Muslim Massacre get some mainstream and very public attention after it became an Internet meme. What started as a forum post pointing people towards the game turned in to a media circus, with newspapers and websites all around the world attacking the idea of the game and its creator, Sigvatr.
The game was Web-only, with poor graphics, and so really shouldn’t have got the amount of attention it did. Unfortunately, the subject matter was such that it was always bound to grab the headlines. While some believed it was intended as a parody of American foreign policy, others believed it to be just a downright sick game likely to add to the problem of Islamophobia.
I argued that whatever the message being sent at the heart of the game, it should be allowed to exist, merely because by calling for it to be banned, it would mean we are calling for the Internet to be policed and censored. In the end, a ban wasn’t necessary, as the game’s website now sports an apology instead of the game itself.
Quote -
I would like to make a public apology for any offense that I might have caused through releasing this game, and to Muslims in particular. My intentions when releasing this project were to mock the foreign policy of the United States and the commonly held belief in the United States that Muslims are a hostile people to be held with suspicion. I would like to make it clear that I have never shared such a belief and my intention was to mock those who actually do believe these things.
I would like to ask for the forgiveness of Muslims around the world and to make it clear that I did not release this game with ill intent. So without further ado, I would like to say that I am truly apologetic for what I have done and will take full responsibility for all offense that has been caused. I can only hope that any further misgivings can be laid to rest.
I would like to ask for the forgiveness of Muslims around the world and to make it clear that I did not release this game with ill intent. So without further ado, I would like to say that I am truly apologetic for what I have done and will take full responsibility for all offense that has been caused. I can only hope that any further misgivings can be laid to rest.
The apology seems genuine enough, and it is certainly well written. And removing the game is noble. The problem is that once something has been released on the Internet, it’s pretty much guaranteed to be on there until the end of time. If you look in the right place, you’ll still be able to play Muslim Massacre and see what all the fuss was about.
I’m glad the creator of the game eventually saw the light and took the right decision. However, I’m still struggling to understand why the game was created and put on the Web in the first place.
Source: Various Sites
NTUsEr
