Muslim children 'kill' Israelis on UK-made 'Islamic Fun' CD

Independant UK ^ | 02 June 2002 07:11 BDST | Robert Mendick

[Nachum]

A British company is producing an educational CD-Rom that encourages Muslim children as young as five to "kill" Israelis.

The CD, called Islamic Fun!, is being sold for £19.95 from a suburban home in Crawley, West Sussex. One of the games on the disc, obtained by The Independent on Sunday, is called The Resistance and tells children playing it: "You are a farmer in south Lebanon who has joined the Islamic Resistance to defend your land and family from the invading Zionists."

Players procure ammunition to fire at Israeli tanks by answering multiple choice questions and then firing at the Israelis as the tanks roll across the screen. There are three playing levels: for children aged between five and seven years, those aged eight to 10, and the hardest level for children aged 11 and over.

Questions include "What was the crime of the Jews of Khayber?" and "Who said: 'I know I have been elected thanks to the votes of US Jews. I owe my election to them. Tell me what I have to do for the Jewish people' to Ben Gurion?"

Abbas Panjwani, the director of the company Innovative Minds, which produces Islamic Fun! said: "The game does not target any human beings including soldiers, it targets Israeli tanks. From that point of view it's no different from any other war game. It does not target any religious or racial group including the Jewish community. In fact its educational content teaches children the difference between Judaism and Zionism."

The company has been producing the game for more than three years but it has come to the notice of the Jewish community only in recent weeks and follows a campaign on Innovative Minds' website calling for a boycott of Israeli goods.

Mr Panjwani said: "Since last December when we started [our] boycott Israeli goods campaign we have received violent threats to my wife and child, abusive phone calls, several hundred hate e-mails every day, our website was forced to close down due to threats against our host providers which have all been reported to the police.

"This matter of the game is the latest of a whole series of abuse we have been receiving simply for practising our right to oppose illegal occupation and atrocities committed by the state of Israel."

The Board of Deputies of British Jews, which represents UK Jewry, has investigated the legal status of the CD-Rom but has been advised by lawyers there is no current legislation to make Islamic Fun! illegal. Fiona Macaulay, the board's director of public affairs, said: "This CD is completely inappropriate for children. This is the sort of material that when taught to children breeds violence and hatred. It is a tragedy that this is coming not from Lebanon but from Crawley."

[Nachum]

Well, in a free market, can anyone here think of some interesting games to rival this one?

[MadIvan]

There was a game called "Conflict" in which you get to be the Prime Minister of Israel and your objective is to knock out or destabilise the surrounding states and the PLO. You could also use nuclear weapons. There was a warm glow of satisfaction when you gave the order to turn Damascus, Cairo, Amman and Beirut into parking lots. ;)

Perhaps we need a new version of this game.

Regards, Ivan

[MadIvan]

By the way, the makers of this CD ROM could be arrested under the Prevention of Terrorism Act. Take 'em out, lock 'em up, throw away the bloody key.

Regards, Ivan

[weikel]

Woah is this game still on the market?

[MadIvan]

Unfortunately, no. It is nearly 10 years old, if not more. The most fun was going to purchase weapons - you could pick from America, Britain, France, and a Private Arms dealer who sold Russian weapons. Then you deploy your forces to hit Egypt. My favourite thing was to destabilise them politically then have the IDF run over them like a steamroller.

Regards, Ivan

[LarryLied]

Well, in a free market, can anyone here think of some interesting games to rival this one?

Sure. Click here

[Nachum]

C'mon Larry, that is already old news. The site was taken down in Febuary of '2000. Got anything more current?

[jrewingjr]

Instead of "The Last Starfighter", we have in the making here "The Last Towelfighter." High scores are rewarded with officer commissions in Al-Fatah, as well as a colorful selection of highly-absorbent headwear.

This terrorist-recruiting techno-geek pushing this game better look over his shoulder; Israel doesn't need any more future terorists being recruited, and I don't think they would let this go. I wouldn't. Mossad or an appropriate subcontractor should take out the owner and designers and burn the house down. Hopefully, Tony B. will OK this or delegate the job to someone else.

Life During Wartime. "This ain't no foolin' around."

[jrewingjr]

Bump.