Muslims craft their own video games
(AP)
Updated: 2006-06-06 19:32 Critics say the game merely inverts stereotypes - replacing extremist
caricatures of Muslims with extremist caricatures of Jews, like that of Baruch
Goldstein, and using the violent "shooter" format common to many video games.
But by giving young Muslims and Arabs the chance to see themselves in "the
good guy" roles, Kasmiya hopes the games will bolster self-esteem among the
region's children.
"Most video games on the market are anti-Arab and anti-Islam," says Kasmiya.
"Arab gamers are playing games that attack their culture, their beliefs, and
their way of life. The youth who are playing the foreign games are feeling
guilt. On the outside they look like they don't care, but inside they do care.
But we also don't want to do something about Arabs killing Westerners."
Both "Al-Quraysh" and "Under Siege," which cost roughly $100,000 to make,
have been funded and released by Dar al-Fiqr, a publishing house that
distributes a wide range of conservative to liberal voices on topics related to
Islam. An estimated 100,000 copies of "Under Siege" have been distributed around
the Arab world.
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