Muslim Massacre online game causes outrage

Auckland, Nov.4 : Religious leaders are calling for the banning on an Internet game that invites players to kill Muslims

The Australian Muslim community has accused the Federal Government and police of double standards over their treatment of a free online game in which the aim is to kill as many Muslims as possible.

Keysar Trad, president of the Islamic Friendship Association, wrote to the Attorney General, Robert McClelland, expressing outrage over the game, Muslim Massacre, saying it teaches young people to "further hate Muslims".

The game, launched as a free download on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, invites players to take control of an American "hero" and "wipe out the Muslim race with an arsenal of the world's most destructive weapons".

It was created by a 22-year-old programmer going by the online handle Sigvatr, who says on his website that he is from Brisbane and works part-time as a service station attendant.

In an email interview, Sigvatr, whose real name is Eric Vaughan, said he had not been contacted by anyone in police or Government over the game, which had been downloaded "over a hundred thousand times".

The Attorney-General's Department said it was up to the Australian Federal Police to investigate whether the game breached sedition laws.

According to stuff.co.nz, the The Ramadhan Foundation in Britain has also called for the game to be banned, saying it was "unacceptable, tasteless and deeply offensive".

ANI