UPDATED: LittleBigPlanet Release Delayed Due To Qur'an References
I just received some bad news. LittleBigPlanet has been delayed until an as yet unannounced date.
And now, the official word from SCEE:
During the review process prior to the release of LittleBigPlanet, it has been brought to our attention that one of the background music tracks licensed from a record label for use in the game contains two expressions that can be found in the Qur'an. We have taken immediate action to rectify this and we sincerely apologise for any offence that this may have caused.We will confirm the new launch date shortly.
According to ThreeSpeech, the delay is effective world wide, and not just in Europe.
Apparently, this is not Sony or Media Molecule's fault as the references appear in music that they licensed from an outside source. The song, which appears in the Swinging Safari level, contains quotes from the Muslim holy text and unless you are a Muslim it would probably go completely unnoticed. In a letter to Sony, the Nsider outlined the issues at hand.
I asked many of my friends online and offline and they heard the exact same thing that I heard easily when I played that part of the track. Certain Arabic hardcore gaming forums are already discussing this, so we decided to take action by emailing you before this spreads to mainstream attention.We Muslims consider the mixing of music and words from our Holy Quran deeply offending. We hope you would remove that track from the game immediately via an online update, and make sure that all future shipments of the game disk do not contain it.
This is not the first time a situation like this has occurred, nor will it likely be the last. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Breakdown and ZaK and Wiki have all experienced trouble with quoting the Qur'an which resulted in delays and software updates. Hopefully in the future these things can be caught in plenty of time to avoid delays
UPDATE: Sony has sent this update in regards to the North American release date:
We will begin shipping LittleBigPlanet to retail in North America the week of October 27th. Sorry for the delay, and rest assured, we are doing everything we can to get LittleBigPlanet to you as soon as possible.
LittleBigPlanet - SCEE's official statement... [ThreeSpeech]
NSider's Letter To Sony And Media Molecule Re: Qur'an References [Kotaku]
Asterick
Posted to Video Games on 17 October 2008
· Comments (38)
Other stuff like this: delay, littlebigplanet, offensive and distressing, playstation 3, qur'an, sony
Excuse me, but isn't April Fools Day still half a year away? This news just sounds SO absurd...
Is there REALLY music in these games that quotes the Qur'an, or is it just a case of similar sounding syllables?
In any case, this is another case of over-the-top political correctness, in my opinion.
Once again, religion ruins something awesome. Way to go!
Contains verses from the Koran...
WHO. CARES.
Probably no other book other than the Bible has impacted history and culture more than the Koran. OF COURSE verses from it will show up in music and art outside strictly Muslim contexts.
And they say we atheists are the ones who want to rid the world of religion?? I'm not the one forbidding any mention of a widely circulated book or any depiction whatsoever of one of its major characters.
I'm not Muslim. I don't care what trivial, inconsequential things Muslims irrationally find offensive for no logical reason whatsoever. Why should the rest of us be forced to comply with Muslim social norms?
And why are you guys at gaygamer of all places blindly going along with this as if it's not completely ridiculous?
Now I totally want to do a "Stations of the Cross" level.
^^^
you'd think that people within a minority group would have more tolerance and respect for someone's way of life that's contrary or foreign to that of your own.
Eshto: We are not "blindly going along" with anything. We are merely reporting the facts. If we report things like that and inject our opinion, people get mad that we have an opinion. If we don't, people get mad that we don't have an opinion. Can't win for losing I guess.
But the fact of the matter is if this were offensive GAY content and we had asked for it to be removed, no one here would be complaining. So where is the difference? I could take your sentence and replace "muslim" with "gay." let's see how that sounds...
"I'm not Gay. I don't care what trivial, inconsequential things gays irrationally find offensive for no logical reason whatsoever. Why should the rest of us be forced to comply with gay social norms?"
Doesn't sound too nice, does it? I'm not saying I agree or disagree with the choice. I'm just saying it's not GG's place to question it.
Fruit Bruit: Well Said.
I agree with Fruit Brute. If it was material offensive to gays we would do the same thing so we should respect the people who do find it offensive and the decision made on their account.
I agree - very well said, Fruit. And those are my sentiments exactly, Jaded.
Ridiculous
The analogy is wrong though.
It would be like us wanting something from the game removed because it is gay. In general the gay comunity is for more gay content. It's like they don't want us to be exposed to their culture. What's next? Burning any copy of the Koran outside of Muslim countries?
I agree that this is ridiculous. Game companies should not conform to the voice of dissent.
There's plenty of stuff I don't like in games or TV shows or whatever. Some even that I find offensive. If it bothers me, I don't play/watch/read it.
It's the same for Fallout 3. Why should the rest of the world care that their politicians can't handle drugs in a freaking videogame?
This is just plain wrong and the gaming companies need to put a stop to it or it's going to lead to massive censoring by anyone with an opinion in the future.
Ok, flip side here, But they are "mixing of music and words from our Holy Quran"....now I can imagine if the song said something along the lines of "F____ tha Quran" yes that would be bad, but they are quoting it! You thing they would be happy!
Too bad the game has been in some stores for a few days now. Oh well, makes those copies super rare I guess. Does this mean Sony is destroying all discs and making new ones with the new song? Why no force an auto update that changes the song?
I think its fair that a global game intended to make an online community out of the whole world is taking steps to ensure that everyone in the world will want to play equally.
Am I angry that I have to wait an extra six days for LBP? Sure, I'm annoyed. But I think its fair, and I think in the end, Sony is doing the right thing.
Game companies are going through a transitional period as they become one of the largest entertainment industries in history. Sony, Nintendo, MS, etc. are all walking fine lines as they try and encourage as much consumer confidence in their ability to provide experiences that appeal to *everyone*, gay, straight, muslim, christian, etc. - so as to continue to grow the business around the world. One could expect that during this time they may be more willing to bend over backwards in order to ensure that their products will sell well, and one of the best ways of doing that is by responding quickly to offensive material included in their games.
Would I like to see a world in which games were free from censorship of any kind? Of course - but it won't happen. Surely a balance will be struck, but in the end this is just a facet of the society we live in now - a *global* marketplace where the needs and concerns of all consumers is taken into account.
I will also add that if they ban the word "Gay" from being used in level, I will raise hell. :)
@ Nexus
i'm sure that Muslims would have no problem with respectful and balanced depictions of them and their religion in games. heck, you don't see a protest every time you're blowing up some Arab nation in some shooter, do you?
using quotes from the Qoran in this way is highly offensive to their religion. Madonna had the same problem a few years ago on her Confessions album.
the intention of the music in the game is not to incite action or make a political point. it was a SNAFU due to innocent cultural ignorance.
if you unintentionally make a mistake due to cultural differences, are you saying that it's the other person's fault for not sharing your views?
if nothing else, this whole thing is definitely shining a light on people's ignorance, xenophobia, and self- and geo- centrisms. the only way you could possibly not understand how someone could take offense to this is if you truly hold nothing sacred / special / of any value worth anything.
@wolverine
i'd imagine it'd be because it's not required to have an online connection in order to use the game, and since you're removing, and not adding, it's a little more complicated to solve with a patch.
I hold things sacred. But I don't go so far as to object the very mention of them.
If the actual song was disrespectful I would understand, but the problem seems to be the very use of the quote in something music related. Which just screams ridiculous to me.
It's like the creatonists that objected to Spore. DRM BS aside, would you have wanted an entire game gone because one group found it offensive?
Also, no need to start throwing out personal insults.
You're only belittling yourself.
I can't formulate what I want to say right now. Everything about this (with the exception of the fact that it's happening to Sony) upsets me. Censoring something on a global scale for something not only obscure but basically uncontroversial is ridiculous. I had the same reaction to the debacle surrounding Resistance (which was also funny because it was happening to Sony). You can't force everyone to cover their head because your religion dictates that you must.
Equally disappointing is the fact that so many on here have commented, believing this to be an example of why religion is always a negative institution. Most eugenicists are atheist, but that doesn't meant that every atheist believes in cleansing the gene pool. Zealotry is a separate aspect of the psyche from religion.
why is there a Muslim dating advert on this page or this site come to think of it?????????many Muslim countrys murder gays for just being gay
I suspect this was done less out of respect for Muslim religious feelings and more out of the fear that some Islamic crazies might blow up their offices/stores selling the game.
I am personally offended by this recall.
But SONY isn't afraid of me, the way they are of Islam.
That cowardice is making dhimmi out of all of us, against our will, by limiting our options, choices, and access in order to capitulate to, in this case, one lone Muslim man objecting to the work of another Muslim man.
This is unforgivable.
We should not be dictated to by any damn religion, ever.
Cowards.
Wow, guys. It kind of sounds like a non-issue. I mean, the muslim players asked them to remove it (politely, if a bit forcefully), and sony did, out of respect for their religion (and more likely being afraid of looking like jerks for leaving it in). I don't really see anything wrong here. Yes, we can be overly politically correct sometimes, but usually, political correctness keeps us civil. Sometimes people seem to forget that it CAN be a good thing.
The world would be much better without islam.
Sarah: If I ask politely for you to permanently and legally change your name from 'Sarah' because it offends me, would you do it?
Why not?
Then why should some Muslim man who objects to another Muslim man's work get his way with regard to LittleBigPlanet?
Oh. Because a Muslim might be a terrorist. We have to capitulate to them or they might bomb something. That is why one man's objection overrides 500,000 game players waiting for their copy, isn't it?
This is an issue of bigotry: SONY is afraid of Islam, and is capitulating out of fear.
I don't think that is right.
Muslims are bound by muslim religious law. The rest of the world is not. The same goes for christian law, jewish law, &c. &c.
While the content may not be to the liking of some muslims, they are only responsible for their own actions. They have absolutely no right to impose their views on others.
It's been said already, but needs to be said again:
It's offensive to use quotes from the Qur'an like this.
Sony just doesn't want to piss off a religious group. They'd do the exact same thing if they found out a song in their game was offensive to Christians.
Yeah, I don't think I'll be defending the delicate sensibilities of yet another religion, whose followers mostly want me dead, just because someone misconstrues them as a "minority", thanks. They're big boys. They have guns and fighter planes and a billion followers and ankle porn and run entire countries from the top down. They can deal.
When we have our own countries, and millions of people (and at least one multinational corporation) cowering in fear because we might blow something up for not being fabulous enough, then I might put us on the same bus as Muslims. But the mere fact that neither sheep nor wolves are a majority doesn't mean the sheep should ever look out for the wolves' interests.
It makes sense from a business standpoint to remove superfluous content that could repel a large number of potential customers. Sony is afraid of not making as much money as possible. Boo them?
The problem is not that LittleBigPlanet will ship late. The problem is the attitude that the complaint of one lone 20-something religious fanatic on a forum can bring a corporation to it's knees, and cause the dumping of 500,000 units of product into a landfill out of fear - fear that all Muslims are terrorists, and must be appeased at any cost.
That is the issue: appeasement of any religion based on bigotry and fear, and also that the majority must be inconvenienced so that political correctness may be served.
It is not a matter of "if you are offended, we are sorry", it is an overwhelming effort to bow and scrape and cow-tow to a perceived 'terrorist faction'. It is racism gone wild, it is corporate terror made manifest.
It is your open, free, western culture being sold cheap, out of weakness and cowardice.
At the moment the 'Movie Director' Guy Ritchie is making a movie staring Robert Downey Jr. as Sherlock Holmes- As a Holmes fan I imagine I will find the results at least, if not more offensive than any muslim would find the content of this game. This is rediculous pandering, 'Faith' shouldn't get preferential treatment any more than a political view should. But it seems that whenever they get the chance, some minor theistic figure will jump up out of their armchair and start whining about a cartoon, or a book, or a movie, or an offensively shaped cookie, or something else totally random, just to garner some attention for themselves and whatever brand of delusion they're touting today.
Personally I find Islam itself deeply offensive- For reasons that I'm sure are obvious to all on this board- But as a previous poster pointed out, we can be offended as much as we like, but because we're not claiming to be offended on behalf of an invisible dictator in the sky our opinions don't matter as much.
Now, release the bloody game so I can make a sackboy of Richard Dawkins :)
this is offensive? i for one want to know why it is, what was said and who said it, because it will help me understand. i completly agree they have rights and sony really are doing a good job at the moment(flash 9) if they cause offence they appologise and rectify their mistakes.
I hope 100% of all religious references are scrubbed from this game so I don't have to be offended.
But more seriously, what procedures will be in place to remove, complain about and censor user generated content that one and all may find some small offense with?
I can understand why Sony would want to be as uncontroversial as possible (or mabe bland). I thought this game was supposed to be more or less a blank canvas for user generated content.
Okay, so I expected the wishy washy "replace 'Muslim' with the word 'gay'" response, as if tolerance means having to tolerate anything and everyone, even when it infringes on your own freedom of expression.
Islam teaches that homosexuality is wrong. Should we all go along with that as well? Should I leave my partner of five years because my relationship might offend someone's religious sensibilities?
You can pretend there's no difference, but there is a HUGE difference. The difference is no less than gays wanting equality for ourselves and Muslims wanting the right to make everyone else conform to their religious beliefs.
It's not offensive to merely quote a book with absolutely no animosity intended. And we don't object to "gay content" per se, actually we almost always welcome it. What we object to is homophobic content that demonizes or misrepresents us.
As a gay person I expect to be treated the same as everyone else because I pay the same taxes. I don't expect everyone else to conform to my way of life or hold my beliefs, particularly when they are totally irrational.
Oh and Frute Bruit, I know articles like this can get you guys stuck between a rock and a hard place. I did feel the last line, "Hopefully in the future these things can be caught in plenty of time to avoid delays" was highly problematic because it seemed to assume "catching" the references and deleting them - i.e. immediately buckling under the pressure of these kinds of complaints - is the appropriate response. I still maintain that criticism, but I wasn't out to make you guys feel bad or anything, so sorry if I did, I meant for it to be serious criticism and I wanted a serious discussion of this.
"You can pretend there's no difference, but there is a HUGE difference. The difference is no less than gays wanting equality for ourselves and Muslims wanting the right to make everyone else conform to their religious beliefs."
Quoted for truth. Islam is the petulant, tantrum throwing idiot stepchild of the religious world, they flip out over the slightest thing and everyone seems content to bend over backwards to appease them because of the fear of car bombings. It's even more homophobic than Christianity (which is in itself stunning), and vastly more militant. I myself have zero respect for it, or it's beliefs, because they're barbaric my any modern standards you care to hold them to. I fail to see why I should defer to their wishes out of respect when they'd just as soon stone me to death for being gay.
People, its not just Sony... remember when Nintendo had to recall The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time because the chanting in the Fire Temple sounded like a Muslim prayer chant?
Okay, that last line about "world being a better place without islam" wasn't written by me, who usually writes in this site with this nickname.
I'm the poster of the first comment of this topic, and I was dumbfounded by the fact that someone even MADE music that contains lines from the Qur'an for this game, ie. I couldn't believe it.
Not knowing what the lines contain, I can't say if the muslim gamers had a right to be upset or not, but I still think this whole deal was silly business. XP
In any case, my firm believe is that there's room in this planet for all kinds of people, so peace out! :D
Okay, is GayGamer now just removing the comment option out of all the topics related to this?
I realise this isn't the forum section, but surely there's nothing wrong with us giving our opinions on the subject matter.
Especially useful now that the latest topic seems to be about someone who has an opinion more along the lines of what people expressed in this topic.