Makkah: People of Saudi Arabia criticized the augmented reality game Pokémon Go after it was revealed that a ‘gym’ is located atop Kaaba, while several points of collection or ‘Poké stop’ were located at the gates of the Grand Mosque, Arab News reported Thursday.
Several people voiced dismay at the game, saying that it is violating the sanctity of the Grand Mosque in particular and all other mosques in general.
Sheikh Abdullah Al-Munea, a member of the Council of Senior Scholars, said the game is a national security hazard as it aims to uncover secret locations, referring to allegations saying the game records camera footages in its databases.
However, there were people in the community who said that it could have been a mistake.
Suhaib Khairallah, a technology expert and partner member in Microsoft Saudia, said that Pokémon Go is not officially available in Saudi or other Arab countries.
He explained that the creatures are mostly found in mosques, markets, and restaurants because the game uses Google Maps, which detects where most people are usually located and randomly puts ‘gyms’ and ‘Poké stops’ near them.
Appeals Court Judge and member of the Shoura Council Sheikh Issa Al-Ghaith said with regard to finding Pokémon characters on the Kaaba: “In general, I do not think there is anything haram (forbidden) in it as it is”.
Nawaf Shaheen, a gaming expert, said: “Pokémon Go has also used a data bank from another game called Ingress. It wants the players to determine important locations in their cities. Among these places are hospitals, mosques and markets.”
He said that some people do not even know the content of the game and its subject.
Some people believe that it was targeting Muslims and Islam. Pokémon Go is a normal entertainment game; in each update, it changes its security settings and adds guidelines for players. For example, if a player is driving his car above 20 km per hour, the Pokémon characters do not appear.
Post Comments
| Quick links