Gamertell

September 2006, Afkar Media, a Syrian game company, released a PC Real Time Strategy (RTS) game to positively portray Islam during the first hundred years of its existence.  Called Quraish (according to the official website; the Christian Science Monitor calls it Al-Quraysh), players can choose to be one of five powers, including the Romans, the Persians, and a fledgling Muslim empire.

Afkar Media isn’t a new company, having also released Under Siege, a first/third person shooter that follows the Israeli/Palestinian conflict from a Muslim point of view.  Both of these games are intended to show Muslims in a more positive light, portraying them as protagonists. 

Radwan Kasmiya, executive manager of Afkar Media, believes that most games out now are Anti-Arab and Anti-Islam.  Kasmiya, a gamer, told the Christian Science Monitor, “Arab gamers are playing games that attack their culture, their beliefs and their way of life.”

However, according to the Monitor, critics say Under Siege only inverts the stereotypes, “...replacing extremist caricatures of Muslims with extremist caricatures of Jews.”  Perhaps Quraish, which takes place far in the past, will be able to better avoid political mud-slinging.

Afkar Media isn’t the only company putting a religious spin on modern games.  Left Behind Games released Left Behind: Eternal Forces last November (2006), a Real Time Strategy game portraying the Christian apocalypse as interpreted by the fictional “Left Behind” books.  Not surprisingly, because of the violence, the forced indoctrination of opponents, and apparently the fact that it wasn’t all that good of a game, it wasn’t well received by either the Christian or the mainstream media.

Islam and Christianity are both supposedly religions of peace - maybe violent video games are not the most effective ways to spread their message.

Read [Christian Science Monitor] Via [Tech Digest] Also Read [Christian Science Monitor] Product Page [Quraish] Site [Left Behind Games]