Ban 'Pokemon Go' as it can destroy Muslims' faith, says Rani Kulup
Suganthi Suparmaniam
July 27, 2016 16:46 MYT
July 27, 2016 16:46 MYT
He said the game would also promote social ills among the youths.
Pertubuhan Martabat Jalinan Muhibbah Malaysia (MJMM) president Abdul Rani Kulup Abdullah wants the government to ban the release of Pokemon Go game in Malaysia.
He said the smartphone game could destroy the faith of Muslims since the game can cause obsession.
He said the game would also promote social ills among the youths.
Abdul Rani who lodged a police report at the Dang Wangi police headquarters today said the game could be detrimental to children’s development.
"Their minds would be filled with cartoons. In the end, everyone would become cartoons in Malaysia,” he said.
Pokemon Go uses smartphone satellite location, graphics and camera capabilities to overlay cartoon monsters on real-world settings, challenging players to capture and train the creatures for battles.
It has already been blamed for a wave of crimes, traffic violations and complaints in cities around the globe.
Indonesia has ordered its civil servants not to play Pokemon Go at work in a bid to protect "state secrets".
Resistance is mounting in official circles to Pokemon Go, with the military and police already having banned their personnel from seeking to catch virtual monsters while on duty, and the Jakarta presidential palace prohibiting the game around its premises.
READ: Pokemon no-go for Indonesian civil servants
READ: Saudi revives 15-year-old anti-Pokemon fatwa
The top echelons of the security establishment have expressed fears that the game's hi-tech capabilities could be used by foreign spies to access sensitive data -- although security experts are sceptical there is any danger.
Saudi Arabia's 2011 fatwa prohibited the game, which it said was too much like gambling and that the concept of its characters appeared to be based on Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, which is rejected by Islam.
However, it is now reviving the game following public calls for guidance on the newly launched smartphone version of the game.
On July 23, Inspector General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said police will monitor the Pokemon Go game if it poses any security threat.
He said although the application is not officially launched in Malaysia, the smartphone game has caused several issues in other countries including road accidents.
The augmented-reality game Pokemon Go, which is based on a 1996 Nintendo game, has created a global frenzy as players roam the real world looking for cartoon monsters.