Islamic phrase removed from Zack & Wiki

by Alexander Sliwinski { Aug 1st 2007 at 6:57PM }

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) says Capcom has removed an Islamic phrase from its upcoming game Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure. The term "Allahu akbar," which means "God is Great" or "God is Greater," can be first heard at the 0:20 mark in the video after the break. The term, according to CAIR, is a "frequently repeated religious statement made by Muslims and is used often in daily Islamic prayers." From the video it's hard to tell the context the developers had in mind using the term.

Capcom says the phrase has been removed from the game and will no longer be heard in future videos released to the public. According to Gamasutra, in 2003 Microsoft Game Studios removed audio clips of the Koran being heard read in the background of the Xbox fighter Kakuto Chojin. CAIR says they were happy with Capcom's quick response to "address Muslim concerns."

Tags: cair, capcom, controversy, islam, muslim, zackandwikie

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

AmishPhysicist @ Aug 1st 2007 7:06PM

Hmm. didn't hear it in the vid... or is that the point? Oh well.

What's up with this game being a series of red-light/green-light games? Hope there are some other elements.

AmishPhysicist @ Aug 1st 2007 7:08PM

whoops. I hear it now. I'd better go be deaf somewhere else for a while.

Imadogg @ Aug 1st 2007 7:08PM

Go to around 1:32 left in the video and you should hear it scream out "Allaaaaahhhhu Akbar"

3cubedminus3squared @ Aug 1st 2007 7:06PM

Great.
Now lets work on removing 'In God we Trust' on American currency.

/sarcasm

mr nimblewick @ Aug 1st 2007 7:24PM

You joke, but I would love to see that happen.

Spartacus @ Aug 1st 2007 8:23PM

Ironically, as a Christian in full time ministry, I wouldn't mind that happening. One of the biggest reasons our country is "fighting" a war on terrorism right now is because the Islamic countries see all the moral depravity coming out of the USA and assume Christianity is the cause. They then take it upon themselves to cleanse the world of such an immoral religious practice by trying to kill us all. Unfortunately this is all due to the misconception that the USA is a religiously run government much like most Arab countries. Of course the reality is that the US government is doing just about everything it can to push God out of the system completely. While I, as a Christian, don't think that's going to benefit our country, I don't think being hypocritical two faced politics is exactly helping Christianity's case (humans do a fine job of being hypocritical without the government's help, thank you very much)...

WhatIsThatThing @ Aug 1st 2007 9:19PM

Yeah, and "under God" should be removed from the Pledge of Allegiance too. Actually, get rid of the Pledge of Allegiance. It makes it seem like we're being "brainwashed" to love this country. I'm not saying I don't (I'm not a terrorist! Really!), but I've been reciting that every day in school, originally not knowing what it meant, and now that I do know, I don't like reciting it. The point is that...hmm...um...I don't like the Pledge of Allegiance, I guess. Partly because of it's Christian overtones (I'm an agnostic), and partly because if it's "love your country or die" type motif.

hvnlysoldr @ Aug 1st 2007 10:15PM

People have tried to remove Under God, In God we Trust, and opening prayers for all Congressional sessions.
This reminds me of Nintendo changing the somewhat Muslim chanting in the Fire Temple in Ocarina of Time.

Peaefuloutrage @ Aug 2nd 2007 8:02AM

I'm with you. Regardless of how you may personally feel, the freedom to choose your own religion is different than freedom FROM religion. You have the right to be Christian, Muslim, Agnostic, whatever. You DO NOT have the right to impose your will on others. So if Capcom releases a game with a phrase it in, you can boycott it. People can get offended from anything. Maybe I'm weird because I fail to see how "God is Great" will lead to the downfall of mankind..

Megaqwerty @ Aug 1st 2007 11:25PM

WhatIsThatThing, that's a wonderful idea! No, really, I'm not being sarcastic.

The pledge was conceived so that children would resist communist subversion. It even had a Heil thingie before people that was little too obvious.

I never thought about removing the pledge itself, but, damn, that's a great idea!

eM @ Aug 2nd 2007 8:45AM

@Spartacus

I don't see how Christianity has anything to do with it; there are plenty of other largely Christian nations and even large Christian populations in the "Muslim world".

Imadogg @ Aug 1st 2007 7:07PM

Well it's said everytime you turn the huge knob things... no idea why. I don't have a problem with it personally.

In the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time I felt like I was hearing Arabic in the Fire Temple, I think I was just imagining it though. Someone tell me I was.

BPM @ Aug 1st 2007 7:25PM

Depends. Earlier versions of Ocarina of Time DID have chanting in the Fire Temple. But it was removed from later releases on N64 (and GameCube and VC versions feature all the censorship, too).

Other changes made in OoT include:
-Ganondorf's blood from red to green
-The symbol on switches, Mirror Shield, etc. from a star and moon to some mask-looking symbol

talesofyayness @ Aug 1st 2007 7:08PM

Umm......its not spelled "koran", its spelled Qur'an..
(koran sounds like an enemy in a jrpg >.>)

Anywho, whats wrong with saying Allah hu akbar? Although, i guess they didnt want Religious references in videogames. If THATS the case then i understand, but if its for another reason then you can oficially called be PO'ed

Imadogg @ Aug 1st 2007 7:10PM

At least they wrote Muslim instead of Moslem

faceless coward @ Aug 1st 2007 9:02PM

Aren't all of those spellings (Qur'an, Koran, Muslim, and Moslem) accepted?

As for the reason for the complaint, I think it was the combination of the island-native stereotype people with the Islamic phrase that was potentially offensive.

Grant @ Aug 2nd 2007 9:21AM

As much as i agree with the guys above about removing religion from out money and school,
i also agree with the fact that this really shouldn't be offensive to anyone.
Religion is a fact of everyday life, and if we keep these things out of games because of being WAY over sensitive, it's just another step towards totalitarianism style censorship.

i could see removing it if it seemed defamitory to anyone, but it's simply in the background music, no one character is specifically saying it.

In conclusion, remove religion from state, not from the mass media.

Imad @ Aug 1st 2007 7:14PM

I'm a Muslim (moderate, Non-Denominational) and I'm not offended, but it should be taken out simply cause it doesn't make sense. The setting looks like it takes place in the Amazon with "savages" (I'm not saying that the amazon actually has savages)...not Dubai or Saudi-Arabia with petroleum engineers. Like if the setting was a desert, then it would make more sense.

Richard @ Aug 1st 2007 7:25PM

Isn't it kind of small-minded of you to consider that only people from a desert, Dubai, or Saudi Arabia can be considered "stereotypical" Muslims? For all you know there's a small group of Amazonian savages worshiping Allah. It doesn't make perfect sense, but it's not completely out of place. It's a religion and it's pervasive, whether you like it or not.

GearsMaster @ Aug 1st 2007 7:17PM

See this is a case where it makes perfect sense to take out a phrase.

I can see someone of the Islamic faith being offended by this. Especially if it isn't used in the right context. People take religion very seriously (duh) and some people might think its wrong for some random videogame character to use a phrase that has significant meaning in a game meant for fun.

3cubedminus3squared @ Aug 1st 2007 7:19PM

What about TV shows and movies that say God D*** it and stuff.
Should we make them take out that phrase as well?

Joe Winders @ Aug 1st 2007 7:19PM

Zelda 64 did include Muslim prayer chants in the Fire Temple. Nintendo redid the music in that level for later versions of the cartridge. The GameCube and VC releases also do not have it.

Zelda 64 also included symbols that implied Ganon was a Muslim, namely, the moon & crescent. He is from a 'desert tribe of thieves.'

Imadogg @ Aug 1st 2007 7:21PM

No way. I don't know how I didn't see it all earlier (well I was young).

I knew I heard what I heard! Thanks for the clarification

Mr Khan @ Aug 1st 2007 7:26PM

Yeah, i always wondered why the N64 versions of Zelda that i borrowed (at different times from my friend and my cousin) had that star and sickle moon, then the GC version with Master Quest had that very generic seal

Once i figured it, it was really a "D'oh!" moment, which is odd, i mean Nintendo used the Cross for the original Zelda, right?

Joe Winders @ Aug 1st 2007 7:33PM

There was a bit of discussion about the Christian/Crusader undertones in Zelda on the Joystiq DS board a month or two ago. For instance, Link originally had a cross on his shield, the tri-force parallels the Trinity, the Master Sword parallels the story of the Sword Excalibur and the Lady of the Lake, and there are plenty of Shrines and Temples that look like Christian churches and cathedrals in the games.

Megaqwerty @ Aug 1st 2007 11:29PM

Religious undertones in a video game? Sure, why not.

Religious undertones in a Nintendo-developed video game? The same guys who forced Wooley to change Holy to Pearl? That doesn't seem too likely.

Abdulla S. @ Aug 1st 2007 7:22PM

I'm also a Muslim and I can understand why they chose to remove that from the game. I personally am not offended by it, but I can see other Muslims feeling uneasy when they go "Allahu Akbar" for no apparent reason. It sounds way too much like our call to prayer also.

TuHeribols @ Aug 2nd 2007 1:27PM

LOL no apparent reason? Oh I guess you're right: rioting, burning, blowing up, raping are legit reasons to shout allahu ahbar.

But I agree with you to take that chant out of the game, it made me feel uneasy.

BPM @ Aug 1st 2007 7:27PM

Maybe they'll change "Allahu Akbar" to "Admiral Ackbar."

IT'S A TRAP!!

Mr Khan @ Aug 1st 2007 7:39PM

You win 1 internetz

just because of the Robot Chicken Star Wars synchronization. "Your Taste Buds can't repel flavor of this magnitude!"

BPM @ Aug 1st 2007 7:44PM

"IT'S A TRAP!" was cool before Robot Chicken Star Wars.

http://itsatrap.ytmnd.com

jynxycat @ Aug 1st 2007 7:36PM

I don't think the audio was removed from Kakuto Chojin, I believe the game was just flat out yanked from shelves, and never returned.

Who cares though, the game was a joke.

CarbonFree @ Aug 2nd 2007 11:03AM

Ahem... Eh.. NSFW avatar much?

Attila @ Aug 1st 2007 7:38PM

Cool; it's good to know that we can censor games as long as someone is offended by it!

faceless coward @ Aug 1st 2007 9:08PM

Hey, it was a company choice. If they wanted, they could have left it in there and risked negative public opinion. No one forced them to change the game.

Gambit @ Aug 1st 2007 7:40PM

The people that started bitching about this in the first place fail. You'll notice that they aren't all on here spamming OMFG! They took it out for us!

Sain @ Aug 2nd 2007 1:53AM

What different would it have made anyway? Do you really need to hear that to play the game? You are just complaining to complain.

TK00 @ Aug 1st 2007 7:42PM

Capcom=Pussies. I'm so sick of the world walking on eggshells because some religious person might get offended.

Imadogg @ Aug 1st 2007 7:43PM

Took long enough...

that deaf guy @ Aug 1st 2007 7:53PM

So... islamic don't want monkeys to think god is great? Damn the man trying to keep the primate down. =(

jsn @ Aug 1st 2007 7:53PM

sweet, lets do more to appease Muslims.

Eric @ Aug 1st 2007 7:56PM

Because, you know, Wii's are so big in the Muslim world... You know, I am seriously sick of this shit. If you are offended, DON'T FUCKING BUY IT. Not that hard of a concept. EVERYTHING will offend someone. What makes them so fucking special? I'm offended by the existance of the Wii. I don't see Nintendo rushing to pull it off of store shelves... Not that it's on store shelves, but you get my point. Although I am all for changing it to Admiral Ackbar, but then Lucas would be offended...

Wonderless Wii @ Aug 1st 2007 9:45PM

First dude, what if there was a game, and in the game there was a scene, where someone was literally $h!tting on your face... You might find it offensive, others will find it funny as hell... But it's ok to keep that scene, because if you are offended, than don't buy the game...

Comstock @ Aug 1st 2007 8:01PM

CAIR is a group of hyper-sensitive crybabies. They have a long history of descending into whiny fits.

Comstock @ Aug 1st 2007 8:03PM

See here: http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfairpark/2007/07/what_do_the_dallas_morning_new.php

A peek at CAIR's crazy shizzy list.

Megaqwerty @ Aug 1st 2007 11:32PM

Er...was NOT offended.

N-Zero @ Aug 1st 2007 8:20PM

This is bull. I am not saying this because they took it out. Okay it might have offended someone. But I am pissed cause of the principal of things. Why should they take out something that was probably only going to be in the game for probably 2 minutes (it is a game compiled of mini games). It defenitly wouldn't have hurt sales. Cause it defenitly wouldn't have hurt sales. I mean theirs only around 4 million muslims that live in America, and I bet almost less than 5% of those own a freakin Wii or even are involved in video games. If it would've been something concerning Christanity I or any other religion I bet no one would have taken much notice. Why? because they probably don't care about what other people think about their religion. And I am the same way. Really thoose really hypersensitive muslims need to get with the times and stop taking every comment about their religion so personally.