Austria Bans Anti-Mosque Game

[Andy Chalk]

Austria Bans Anti-Mosque Game

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The government of Austria has banned Bye Bye Mosque, the controversial anti-Islamic Flash game in which players are charged with keeping mosques and minarets out of the country.

With elections in the Austrian state of Styria set to take place later this month, the far-right Freedom Party launched a cheesy little Flash game called Moschee Baba [http://www.moschee-baba.at/], aka Bye Bye Mosque, exhorting players to fight back against the tide of mosques and minarets sweeping across the country. Players receive a message at the game's conclusion warning that "Styria is full of minarets and mosques" and urging them to vote for the Freedom Party.

Despite its low quality and the fact that it is based on an entirely false premise - Anas Schakfeh, the head of the Islamic Community in Austria [http://www.derislam.at/], said there are only four mosques with visible minarets in the entire country - the all-too-predictable outrage came fast and furious. "This is religious hatred and xenophobia beyond comparison," Schakfeh said, while U.N. General Secretary Ban Ki-Moon, on a visit to Austrian President Heinz Fischer over the weekend, described it as "Islamophobic" and "totally unacceptable."

Fischer himself said the game was "absolute nonsense" and announced on September 5 that it had been banned. Visitors to the site now receive a message saying, "Due to the political influence of our enemies this game was banned by the Austrian Justice. Now you decide on September 26."

Following the ban, an Austrian neo-Nazi group reproduced the game on its own site, which led to a copyright infringement complaint from the man who originally sold the game to the Freedom Party. The group's U.S.-based service provider pulled the site offline until yesterday, when it reappeared with a YouTube gameplay video in place of the game. A Turkish group calling itself Black Peace, meanwhile, attacked the Freedom Party's service provider, uploading images of mosques to about 50 other sites it hosts.

Source: Gamasutra [http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/30279/Austrian_Government_Bans_Islamophobic_Political_Flash_Game.php]


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[FinalHeart95]

People fighting over the right to use a game called "Bye Bye Mosque"... wtf.

Not sure how I feel about the banning of the game, especially since it was online. While the game was absolute garbage and I want whoever made it to be shot into the sun, I don't particularly like any government messing with stuff on the internet.

 

[the_pleasure_is_mine]

My response is a loud resounding 'meh'...

I don't consider myself particularly racist but really there is probably much worse on the internet if you spend 5 more minutes on google than you should.

Yes it's 'controversial' but the more you kick up about it the funnier trolls will find it and the more hate it'll produce...

Best is to just leave it alone and stop acting like it's the end of the world, because that way it'll stop being so funny.

 

[Jonluw]

As stupid as the game sounds, I'm still very annoyed that it was banned.

 

[Woodsey]

People fighting over the right to use a game called "Bye Bye Mosque"... wtf.

Not sure how I feel about the banning of the game, especially since it was online. While the game was absolute garbage and I want whoever made it to be shot into the sun, I don't particularly like any government messing with stuff on the internet.

I believe that the infringement is over the game's mechanics, not it's actual presentation and subject matter (if that makes sense), although I could be wrong.

And I'd say it's a bit different to normal considering they're inciting racial hatred to promote a political party, although I see your point.

 

[fenderstrat]

minarets are awesome! at least in assasins creed!

 

[Eri]

Edited to nevermind then

 

[SturmDolch]

I think the game presents a pretty accurate view of Europe in general... An idyllic village, deeply rooted in culture suddenly has mosques and minarets rising all over the place, destroying the skyline. Minarets on historic cities are like graffiti on historic buildings. They reduce the authenticity and meaning of the place.

Saying that this game is "stupid" or "wrong" shows that you're completely oblivious to the issue at hand, and incapable of thinking much beyond your liberal-corrupted viewpoint. The view that anything preserving European culture is automatically racist.

It's too bad that politicians have to resort to different extreme viewpoints. They could be tolerant of muslims while still working to keep the history of their own country alive, but no; that would be uncontroversial and so wouldn't provide good publicity. Here's a thought: ban minarets in historic locations but allow them in the newer city areas that are devoid of personality anyways.

As for the game itself, it's juvenile for a political party to post something like it on their website. These "far-right" parties in Europe remind me of Looney Tunes villains, constantly hatching new schemes to get votes that blow up in their faces.

 

[Scobie]

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[Undead Dragon King]

All this while the German public is devouring the new book Germany Does Itself In by Thilo Sarrazin describing how Muslim immigrants are destroying German society, which the German leadership vehemently opposes. It seems that the governments of Europe are not noticing the popular currents here. They are too committed to "liberalism" and "multiculturalism" to see that your average citizen is really pissed off with all the Muslim immigrants next door. It's the reason why games like "Bye Bye Mosque" were made in the first place. Ban them all you want, but calling people "Islamophoebes" is not going to change their ideas.

 

[TheRightToArmBears]

Controversially for the internet, I'm all for banning shit like this within reason.

Next there'll be people protesting against a completely unobtrusive mosqu just because it's two blacks away from Ground Zero. Wait...

 

[Jared]

Its like trying to ban a lorry from going past a mini...there are going to be people, who want to play it, who will jsut play it, and find work arounds.

Yu cant ban the internet, no matter how hard they try

 

[Autofaux]

If games are speech, then this is hate speech, and while I'm not opposed to this being banned in the first place, I don't think it should've been. It's a subjective and reactionary response, and something that probably shouldn't have happened. It's tasteless, but its not illegal.

By the way, anybody know if there is a term for being against Christianity or Christians? Islam is Islamophobia and Judaism is Anti-semitism; I wonder if a word even exists.

 

[Quaxar]

This is not cool. Obviously, promoting xenophobia and religious hatred isn't cool either. But banning it is unacceptable. We have this whole freedom of expression deal going on. As soon as we say that it only applies for certain points of view, the whole thing goes down the tubes and you might as well start again.

Though Freedom of Speech applies only if it doesn't violate the freedom of others and one could argue that the game falls under the <url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incitement_to_ethnic_or_racial_hatred>Incitement law.
However, I'm happy with every action directed against the FP. They're idiots.

 

[cobrausn]

Am I in the minority who the game doesn't really bother but the banning of it infuriates?

Last I checked, disliking a particular religion wasn't a crime. Then again, I've never really checked, so maybe I'm wrong.

 

[BarkBark]

*Removed

 

[Retodon8]

Wow, that game looks worse than I imagined reading the news update.

Banning the game was wrong; it's not like it's going to convince anyone to be more anti-Islam than they already might be, so it's harmless in that regard.
This could have easily gone by unnoticed doing no harm if they would left it be.
It's hardly a notable piece of software.
Someone else could've made a game where you stop churches from popping up like mushrooms, and whatever other religous-type buildings there are, and we could ignore them all together.

Controversially for the internet, I'm all for banning shit like this within reason.

Next there'll be people protesting against a completely unobtrusive mosqu just because it's two blacks away from Ground Zero. Wait...

I'm all for freedom of speech myself.
The idea with that is you can say whatever they want, within reason.
Banning everything freely because you don't like it, within reason, is Bizarro World to me.

If you seriously don't understand why people would protest against a mosque that close to Ground Zero, I think you might not be aware of the why.
Of course I'm not saying you should agree with those people, I'm just saying I don't understand how someone could not follow their reasoning.

By the way, anybody know if there is a term for being against Christianity or Christians? Islam is Islamophobia and Judaism is Anti-semitism; I wonder if a word even exists.

If those are equivalents, that's not very fair.
"Anti" means "being against", which doesn't mean anything other than that.
"Phobia" means "irrational fear", implying people who are anti-Islam are a little bit screwy.
Being anti-religious doesn't automatically mean there is something wrong with you, no matter which religion(s) you are against.
Simply "anti-Islam" isn't offensive, and is more accurate anyway.

 

[DarkRyter]

Oh, those wacky Styrians.

 

[Kenko]

The game sucked, thanks for feeding more power and protection to the trolls(muslim fundamenalists) by making this game.

 

[deleted_scifidownbeat]

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