U.S.A.-WASHINGTON D.C.: C.A.I.R. PROTESTS A GAME BEING SOLD BY WAL-MART...

Muslim group protests 'Left Behind' game

WASHINGTON, Dec. 20 (UPI) -- The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations Tuesday urged Wal-Mart to stop retailing a video game that included religious violence.

CAIR said in a statement that it had "received complaints about the game "Left Behind: Eternal Forces," produced by Left Behind Games Inc. The game reportedly rewards players for either converting or killing people of other faiths."

In a letter to Wal-Mart CEO H. Lee Scott Jr., CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad wrote: "We believe the message this game is promoting is one of religious intolerance. The game's enemy team includes people with Muslim-sounding names."

"In the post 9-11 climate, when improving interfaith relations should be a priority for all, this type of product only serves to dehumanize others and increase interfaith hostility and mistrust," Awad wrote.

"Each year, CAIR issues an annual report on the status of American Muslim civil rights outlining hundreds of incidents involving anti-Muslim discrimination, harassment, and hate crimes," he wrote. "It is our experience that many of these incidents result from Islamophobic rhetoric and negative images of Muslims in popular culture... .

"We have no desire to stifle creativity or inhibit freedom of speech. However, it is our duty as America's leading Islamic civil rights group to promote mutual understanding and ensure the safety of Americans of all faiths," Awad wrote.

"We also believe that as a company that prides itself in hiring and offering services to a diverse group of people, it is Wal-Mart's corporate social responsibility to take into account the potential social impact of its decision to sell this harmful game. We, therefore, respectfully request the removal of the video game 'Left Behind: Eternal Forces' from your shelves," the CAIR director wrote.


Pertinent Links:

1) Muslim group protests 'Left Behind' game