UAE | General
Offensive gaming gadgets recalled
Playstation 3 game, LittleBigPlanet, alleged to contain music tracks that upset Muslims.
- By Siham Al Najami, Staff Reporter
- Published: 00:55 October 21, 2008
- Image Credit: Gulf News
- Playstation 3 and LittleBigPlanet Games have been taken off the market after allegedly being found to contain some offending music tracks.
Dubai: Playstation 3 game, LittleBigPlanet, has been recalled from the market for including a musical track with two verses from the Quran by a Grammy award winning African artist - an act which is considered offensive to Muslims worldwide.
The words used by Mali-born Toumani Diabate translate as "Every soul shall have a taste of death" and "All that is on Earth will perish," was recalled before the launch of the product this month. The product is to be released in early November after modifying the new version.
Tim Stokes, Sales and Marketing Manager for PlayStation Division, Sony Gulf, said, "During the review process prior to the release of LittleBigPlanet, it has been brought to our attention that one of the background music tracks licenced from a record label for use in the game contains two expressions that can be found in the Quran.
We have taken immediate action to rectify this and we sincerely apologise for any offence that this may have caused."
As cited in a BBC report, "Eighteen months ago, Sony apologised to the Church of England after setting scenes in a violent video game inside Manchester Cathedral."
LittleBigPlanet, created by developer Media Molecule, has been described as a game about making games.
In their website, a message was displayed for their fans stating, "As some of you may have noticed, LBP has been slightly delayed in some territories. We can't wait for you all to get playing and creating!"
Stokes, in a statement Gulf News, said, "We are aware that the mixing of musical instruments with recognisable extracts from the Quran is offensive to Muslims.
"Therefore, we have taken immediate action to rectify this."
Latest news
- For this maestro, it's all about the sound
- Experts can't tell old instruments from new
- Sound of violins
- Facilitators: Helping others find joy
- Get friends on board, zip away with Salik bonus
- Volunteers remove garbage from Mamzar beach
- Clean-up campaign set to raise awareness
- Sharjah landmarks bathed in light
- In the pursuit of happiness
- Shaikh Mohammad meets South Korea leader
- Dubai hospitals debut life-saving procedure
- Four poised to chase their dreams
- New rules for Abu Dhabi buildings
- UK’s top Arab advocacy group in need of aid
- 10 things not to do on Valentine's Day
Community Reports
-
Bridges needed
Al Ittihad Road has no pedestrian facilities as one nears Sharjah
-
Street lights needed
Authorities urged to act with haste before a major accident occurs in Al Nahda, Dubai
-
Motorists ignore stop sign on buses
Overtaking school vehicles can put students' lives at risk
-
Safety regulations flouted at Dubai work place
In Al Nahda 2, two workers were seen working on the crane boom at a height of 20m without a full body harness or safety net in violation of rules
