I think that, adults should play video games, 18+ children on the other hand they pick things up what they see etc, i think that, adventure games could not bring any harm to the children except that the parent reviews the game first and determine wether that the child can play the game or not…

i think that most problems in society, the video game industry plays the biggest role, example, kid killing his mother because he was punished after playing a video game for days. shooter games, teach kids some agression, realise it or not, but adventure games, like Banjoo kazooie for example, could be a very good game for children because it doesnt teach what the shooters teach…

If somebody got drunk and drove a car, I would indeed blame the person and not the car. The person has a choice to act responsibly and the car can’t force a person to act irresponsibly. However, comparing Islam to car is ridiculous. Islam is a religion. In that regard, it has tremendous influence over people and it codifies a set of behaviors for which followers are expected to adhere to. This creates societal pressures and in some places, it defines the rule of the land by overriding or taking the place of secular authorities.

Do I hold the Koran responsible for the violence and misogyny it describes? Indirectly, I suppose I would. But primary responsibility lies with the people who practice it. There are stupid and arcane ideas in the Christian Bibles as well, be for the most part, Christians have moved on from those to achieve a more civilized world. Strict interpretations of book that is 1000 years old is going to result in things that are not compatible with life in the 21st century.

I don’t doubt that a significant number of Muslims, perhaps yourself included, have gotten with the program. But then again, maybe not. Instead of joining with me to criticize the terrible things that I linked to above, you want to attack me and you accusing me of insulting Islam because I criticize it. That’s pretty thin skinned and if you take such great insult to it, then perhaps it’s only because when you know what I say to be true and it stings to hear it.

Need more examples?

Your reply is welcome Zeena, but let’s see what you have to say about the specific examples that I have linked above rather than focusing on me as if I’m the problem here.

Here’s a wake up call for you. The only thing you know about Islam is the negative portrayal of it in the media.

Read the Koran and learn about Islam before making such a judgement.
Oh, and here’s another thing. If someone got drunk and drove a car, is it the car’s fault or the driver’s fault?

Let me point out that I believe in individual freedom and I believe that woman should enjoy the same freedoms as men do. In most of the religions that I am familiar with, woman do enjoy freedom. Under Islam, can you say that this generally the case? How about gay people? I will contend that Islam and those who practice as I gave an example of above, are the only ones who taint Islam’s image.

I provided an example above (picture included!) of a young woman being caned, publicly, because she was “caught with a boyfriend”? Is this officially sanctioned by Islam? Because I know of no other mainstream religious society that would implement such punishment, but this type of thing seems to be practiced with alarming frequency under Islam.

Are woman free to choose if they want to wear a burkha, niqab, or hijab under Islam? Or is it imposed on them by their religion or by the men who dominate in that religion?

I really don’t care to understand “the nature of their values”. I simply reject their values. I’m not just critical of Islam. I’m critical of various religions, including a handful of Christian religions, on which I was raised. However, I don’t find any of these other groups in the same ballpark with Islam when it comes oppression of women, and barbaric punishments for things which should not be a crime.

Is this mainstream Islam? How about this? Or this? The list seems endless.

You are welcome to insult me and the readers here, with talk of how the US are the terrorists in Iraq. Knowledgeable people know better than that. The foreign military presence that remains in Iraq is there to maintain peace in the region and they are succeeding. The terrorists are the ones with their road-size bombs and they target other Muslims (including woman and children).

There are plenty of Iraqi’s who are far better off today than they were under Saddam and Iraq will prosper as long as the terrorist groups and fundamentalists are defeated and the productive Iraqi’s are given a chance to prosper.

My line of thinking has no relation what led to Adolf Hitler’s Nazi regime or you are simply wrong about the reasons and the results of the US invasion of Iraq and overthrow of Saddam. I speak out against the intolerance and violence of groups. I’m not advocating elimination of these people who I disagree with, through war and genocide. I’m demanding that they reform themselves to become more modern and peaceful, and I’m demanding that they give all individuals the same rights, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnic makeup, etc.

And back to the original topic of this blog post, I think it’s rather pathetic that Imams feel that they have to protect the reputation from Islam from video games. To say that a video game “insults Islam” seems absurd to me.

If Muslims want their religion to be positively viewed by others, and tolerated by others, I think they should spend a little more time reigning in their radicals, publicly condemning intolerance and those who use the Koran to justify it, and overthrowing the fundamentalist leaders and authorities that are keeping so much of the middle east in the dark ages.

Do I think that I am superior to the Muslims who will cane a young girl for getting caught with her boyfriend, the father who murders their daughter to defend his family’s honor, or the moderate Muslim who is willing to look the other way on these types of issues? Yes, absolutely. I am superior and I am more civilized.

The inspiration (more of an irritation really) for this particular post was how the Imam goes off the rails about things (as many Muslim religious leaders often do). The Imam didn’t seem to be so concerned about the kids actually well being. His stated concerns were about how the games would give the kids negative ideas about Islam.

I don’t think it’s video games that are the problems. I think it’s the religion that is actually more dangerous. How many innocent people have been murdered in the name of that religion in the past 30 years? OK. Now, how many people have been murdered as a result of video games and their supposed bad messages?

Can I point out how Islam strips woman of their basic human rights? If you are an unmarried woman, don’t you dare get caught being affectionate with a boyfriend or even be alone with any other man that isn’t part of your family.

Muslims are using their religion as a justification for making threats, beating up, and even killing people who offend the religion.

What constitutes offending Islam?

Drawing pictures of Mohammed.

Making a film that exposes the hate and intolerance that underlies Islam.

Theo van Gogh was murdered because he made a film about the treatment of woman under sharia law. (Submission)

I would really like to know what negative ideas, about Islam, these video games might be sending to kids.

I would also like to know if video game makers keep making video games that offend Islam will they face violent retaliation too?

In the civilized world, where individuals have rights and freedoms, one does not have a right to not be offended. If you are offended by an idea, too bad. You have the right to ignore the idea. But you can’t stamp out someone’s differing opinion or idea because it offends you, or because you think it offends your god.

I linked to a photo above, of a woman being caned because she was caught alone with a boyfriend. Horrible and barbaric punishment for something that should not be a crime. See the kids in the background watching. Will the Imam speak out against how Sharia law might cause the kids to have a negative view of Islam? Fat chance.

If parents can sit down with their children and play a game for an hour or two, a few things can be learned:

- Family time is important to the parent, so it should be important for the child.
- If the parent sets a time limit for the game, the child should learn control and time management.
- When the parent plays a game the child has chosen, they can learn a bit more and the relationship grows stronger.

It seems almost as if most parents are too busy for their children and they wonder why respect, tradition and discipline disappear. The imam is fighting the wrong battle. Parents should be the real danger – they’ve stopped being parents.