SONY have had to recall and dump millions of copies of a new PS3 computer game because Muslims have taken offence to it.

 

The ultra-cute platform game LittleBigPlanet was due to hit shop shelves next Friday but hardline Muslims are furious at one of the songs.

 

A track recorded by Grammy award winner Toumani Diabate – himself a Muslim – quotes two lines from the Koran.

 

The words used by Mali-born Diabate translate as “Every soul shall have a taste of death” and “All that is on Earth will perish.”

 

Hardliners who have seen review copies of the game say mixing words from the Koran with music is deeply offensive and demanded Sony take action. The furore will potentially cost the firm millions of pounds.

 

And it comes despite the song being on general release since 2006.

 

LittleBigPlanet is Sony’s most significant PS3 game to date. They hope it will help them sell thousands of consoles in the run up to Christmas. Millions of gamers have pre-ordered it and the company is adopting its cute main character Sackboy as its mascot.

 

Copies of the game will be returned from warehouses around the world.

 

It will now be released sometime in November. One Muslim game player said on an Internet messageboard: “We consider the mixing of music and words from our Holy Koran deeply offending.” In an appeal to Sony he added: “We hope you would remove that track from the game immediately.”

 

 

A spokesman for Sony said last night: “During the review process prior to the release of LittleBigPlanet it has been brought to our attention that one of the background music tracks licensed from a record label for use in the game contains two expressions that can be found in the Koran.

 

“We have taken immediate action to rectify this and sincerely apologise for any offence this may have caused.”

Credit: The-Sun.co.uk

 

Not good news for anyone who was looking forwards to getting this game then, which from what I know was a hell of alot of people as this is considered the biggest game release of the year by many places

Read it in the paper today. Pathetic, it really is unreal, I can't believe people actually kick up a fuss about this type of thing and how is it actually offensive?

It's insane alright, Muslims can't be offended by it because they are forbidden from playing games, so they would never hear it.

It's insane alright, Muslims can't be offended by it because they are forbidden from playing games, so they would never hear it.

 

its a bit like in afgan they will have a go at you for drinking beer but will sell you drugs

Read it in the paper today. Pathetic, it really is unreal, I can't believe people actually kick up a fuss about this type of thing and how is it actually offensive?

 

Like CoE getting upset about Manchester Cathedral being depicted in Resistance: Fall of Man? That's probably why they are doing this, they've found that a part of the game could offend a certain group and have decided to fix it before it becomes an issue like the CoE thing did. I think it's good business sense to try to avoid the potential problem even if it disappoints some people to wait an extra week, delays happen all the time anyway.

As for how it's offensive, apparently it's considered blasphemous to mix the Qur'an with music.

This has happened before, believe it or not:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kakuto_Chojin

 

Quote from the article:

It was pulled off the shelves in early 2003 for offensive religious content, namely that it had verses from the Quran being chanted as part of the background sound effects the song "Love/Hate Chant" is an example of this controversy. It was later re-released with the offending content removed.

 

 

It really is kind of ridiculous. :)

As for how it's offensive, apparently it's considered blasphemous to mix the Qur'an with music.

So why no controvery or complaint when the song was released 2 years ago, or no complaint since? besides its a muslim who wrote and sings the song so it can't be that offensive to the religion

 

From what I have read of this its only hardline muslims who are complaining, the majority of muslims don't seem to have made any fuss about it so what they are infact doing is pandering to a small hardcore minority which I think they are wrong to do

Offensiveness is all relative anyway. Who's to say this is any less offensive than the horrific murders in the Manhunt game, just because you personally think it is, doesn't mean everyone feels that way.

 

Little Big Planet is going to be a huge game when it is released, that is meant to be aimed at a huge range of people, it's understandable that it doesn't want something like this tainting it. There's no point p***ing off a group of people for no reason whatsoever, even if it is small minority.

I'd rarther a small minority were annoyed then a huge majority of my customers if I were Sony, this delay has caused alot of complaint from people who had the game on pre-order and is going to cost Sony millions as all the games worldwide have to be basically scrapped now all because a few hardline muslims have kicked up a small fuss, the same hardliners who won't even buy the game in all likelyhood so its a minority spoiling things for the majority once again which pisses me off no end

I'd rarther a small minority were annoyed then a huge majority of my customers if I were Sony, this delay has caused alot of complaint from people who had the game on pre-order and is going to cost Sony millions as all the games worldwide have to be basically scrapped now all because a few hardline muslims have kicked up a small fuss, the same hardliners who won't even buy the game in all likelyhood so its a minority spoiling things for the majority once again which pisses me off no end

 

I know! When will people learn republics don't work!!! :info7:

I'd rarther a small minority were annoyed then a huge majority of my customers if I were Sony, this delay has caused alot of complaint from people who had the game on pre-order and is going to cost Sony millions as all the games worldwide have to be basically scrapped now all because a few hardline muslims have kicked up a small fuss, the same hardliners who won't even buy the game in all likelyhood so its a minority spoiling things for the majority once again which pisses me off no end

 

It's not a minority spoiling it, you can't blame them. The people who made the game are responsible for it's content. They've blatantly just tried to cut costs by putting some music where there are no royalties, but they haven't done their research on the music properly and now it's come back to bite them.

 

The producers of the game are to blame for its delay, not Muslims.

It's not a minority spoiling it, you can't blame them. The people who made the game are responsible for it's content. They've blatantly just tried to cut costs by putting some music where there are no royalties, but they haven't done their research on the music properly and now it's come back to bite them.

 

The producers of the game are to blame for its delay, not Muslims.

 

The delay isn't all on the producers. If no one complained, there'd be no issue.

It's not a minority spoiling it, you can't blame them. The people who made the game are responsible for it's content. They've blatantly just tried to cut costs by putting some music where there are no royalties, but they haven't done their research on the music properly and now it's come back to bite them.

 

The producers of the game are to blame for its delay, not Muslims.

Its a few hardline Muslim's, the same people who condemn Westen life in general who are complaining. So called 'moderate Muslims' have found no problem with the words in the song or if they have they have not complained, the Muslim Council of Britain hasn't complained and the person who sung the damn song obviously didn't find a problem with it and again HE IS A MUSLIM

 

This is about some fanatics who are kicking up a stink when the vast vast majority of people including other Muslims don't find one and they are getting pandered to so it very much is the minority ruling over the majority and the fault of the radical Muslims who through scare tactics have made sure that whenever they complain something gets done to apease them. Are Sony free of blame? NO as they are pandering to the fanatics which annoys me just as much but to say the Muslims (and I do not include the vast majority who haven't found any problem) can't be blamed is utter bullshit to me

Edited October 19, 200816 yr by Nemesis Enforcer

So then it offends you not to hear the song in the game? write up sony and complain, that seems to work.

That is a good idea actually Twig, I may just go to the Sony website and find the way to contact them and see what they do about me complaining about something like that

Can I be the first to say it?

 

IT'S PC GONE MAD!!!

 

THEY'RE TAKING OUR JERBS!!!

 

That is all.

Its a few hardline Muslim's, the same people who condemn Westen life in general who are complaining. So called 'moderate Muslims' have found no problem with the words in the song or if they have they have not complained, the Muslim Council of Britain hasn't complained and the person who sung the damn song obviously didn't find a problem with it and again HE IS A MUSLIM

 

This is about some fanatics who are kicking up a stink when the vast vast majority of people including other Muslims don't find one and they are getting pandered to so it very much is the minority ruling over the majority and the fault of the radical Muslims who through scare tactics have made sure that whenever they complain something gets done to apease them. Are Sony free of blame? NO as they are pandering to the fanatics which annoys me just as much but to say the Muslims (and I do not include the vast majority who haven't found any problem) can't be blamed is utter bullshit to me

 

I don't care if you think it's bullshit or not. You can't blame people for taking offence to things. It's intolerant to think that just because something doesn't bother you it shouldn't bother anyone else, and there are many different types of Muslim, so why you think that there's a Muslim that doesn't find it offensive, is relevant is beyond me.

Ok then so nothing should ever be said or made then because there is always going to be someone who finds offence at anything! Barbie dolls for example are offensive to some people because they say they are a sexist unrealistic portrail of women should we get rid of Barbie?

 

The point is you are never going to please everyone so its the majority which should take president in situations like this, just because a few hardline Muslims don't like it tough the vast majority of people of all faiths don't care so why should a minority take president over a majority?

Yes... We should get rid of Barbie. :)

 

You're also arguing apathy vs outrage, if you don't care about the song, why care that it's being removed? Sony's willing to lose the money.

Yes... We should get rid of Barbie. :)

Ok but you will have to get rid of alot more then that too such as Rap music, horror movies, action movies, anything with sex in it, anyhting thing with swearing... the list is endless

 

You're also arguing apathy vs outrage, if you don't care about the song, why care that it's being removed? Sony's willing to lose the money.

I don't care if its in or not to begi with, the fact they have delayed the game to take it out once the game was finished is what annoys me. Its the principle of the thing which annoys me so much, if Sony had pulled Resistance: Fall of Man because of the CoE complaint I would have argued the point just as much becuase its the same thing, a few people with an agenda are getting pandered to over a majority of people who don't care and this has always pissed me off to no end as I feel that it should always be the majority who should be catered to just like a democracy is meant to work!

Edited October 20, 200816 yr by Nemesis Enforcer

Ok but you will have to get rid of alot more then that too such as Rap music, horror movies, action movies, anything with sex in it, anyhting thing with swearing... the list is endless

 

I don't care if its in or not to begin with, the fact they have delayed the game to take it out once the game was finished is what annoys me. Its the principle of the thing which annoys me so much, if Sony had pulled Resistance: Fall of Man because of the CoE complaint I would have argued the point just as much because its the same thing, a few people with an agenda are getting pandered to over a majority of people who don't care and this has always pissed me off to no end as I feel that it should always be the majority who should be catered to just like a democracy is meant to work!

 

Rap music, horror movies, action movies, anything with sex in it, and anything thing with swearing in it can stay as although kids may find access to it, it's not directed at them, nor intended for them. I don't think rap music should be what it's portrayed as in the mainstream, as anyone's ultimate goals should be more than just cash and ass, but that's not the entirety of the genre (same goes for rock & jazz which was greeted with the same argument). But Barbie is marketed to little girls as the epitome of glamor and beauty when it's a fantasy of what men are conditioned to want, and women are conditioned to aspire to; even when it's not physically possible. Keyword there is "fantasy." If Barbie were real she'd be 7 feet tall, and have serious health issues with her back. Barbie is psychologically damaging as a toy. Swearing isn't damaging, sex in media isn't damaging when portrayed realistically, although it may be confusing if that's a persons only guide, and it's arguable over whether or not the depiction of violence is damaging as well.

 

And we don't live in a democracy. We're told we are over and over again to drill into our heads the illusion of the power we have as citizens, but were in a republic, where we vote the power to someone else; who in turn tries not to upset anyone or at least get caught doing something that would.