Tuesday 16 August 2016

Pokemon Go and Islam


To be honest, its is quite boring especially after Niantic remove the tracking features. So I have no problem not playing the game. What irate me is hearing constant bashing on the game, the latest is the label 'haram' by Mufti Kedah,Datuk Syeikh Muhamad Badrudin.

Some has issues with mosque being a Pokestop. But the truth is people don't have to go inside to access the pokestop, just need to be in the vicinity, meaning you can be across the street from the mosque and still be able to collect the ever precious pokeballs. Some has problems with non-Malay people getting near the mosque. To that I say seriously?? Is that the kind of Islam you want to potray to the future potential Islam embracer? So long as those non-Malay respect the rules there, what is the problems?

Lets one up this situation, see it from a different point of view. Due to pokemon go, those cave-dwelling introvert are finally out in the real world and in the vicinity of a mosque. Why not extend a hand and just invite these people to enter? Is it not a better if not a versetile way of atracting people to perform sollah? Not all people are attracted to tabligh type of preaching.

In fact, if we dig further, we could manipulate this app to our advantage. By putting lure module 20 minits before azan, i guarantee the attendance will be at an all time high. Sure some will come and play with their phone for a while to catch that elusive 132 CP aerodactyle but aren't we all too attached to our smartphone anyway, with the constant update from that one unfunny guy from whatsapp or that spamming businesswomen wannabe in facebook. But when azan is called aloud, everyone with a decent brain will turn of the phone regardless. 

The problem is that people that are making this allegation does not even put in the effort to understand the game mechanics and just blindly make judgement. Ignorance almost always create prejudice and gamers has long been a victim of prejudice. People often fear the unknown. So today I'll educate you, so if you still hate the apps even after this, Meh..I tried.

Anything could be misused if taken in access. Moderation is the key here. Yes, it could cause addiction and negligence but so can any other game. In fact, the benefit outweigh the con in compare to other mobile games. It encourage people to go out and walk for miles. It creates a healthy community. People are interacting and discovering their neighborhood.

There will always be idiots in any community. and the problem with idiots is that they are loud and their action speaks louder. It is suppose to be common knowledge that private property is a  non-entry. It is suppose to be common knowledge to respect any religion's establishment. It is suppose to be common knowledge not to drive and play with your phone. Apparently its not common to those idiots. They are a minuscule fraction of the community yet the media shown brightly at them as the poster boy for Pokemon Go. Our media is starting to become like fox news in US where they displayed Islam as terrorist and the only visual they show is of the fanatic who is chanting 'death to America!'. The game are not designed as such. Pokemon usually appears in wide space like a field, along water source, mainly all the tourist attraction and not in people's houses.The point of the game is to get people to go OUT of their house. It even has a features that detect your speed where it will not work if you use a car.

There are other concern such as data phishing. But what aren't nowadays? your facebook now requires location. your instagram contains lots of personal pictures.you even use google maps/waze which tell you exactly where you are. It is inevitable. To be honest, you are not that important to be spied anyway. Unless you are concern about the 1TB of porn in your hardisk though, in that case the police are probably on their way now. Plus, before Pokemon Go, there are already location based game, the widely used Ingress. In fact they are from the same developer and all those pokestops and gyms location are charted there and imported to Pokemon Go.

An lastly, they claim it could ruin your faith. Really? are your faith that fragile that a mere mention of evolution suddenly make you a heretic? The beauty of Islam is in versatility and flexibility. It is a way of life. Making it strict and rigid only isolate Islam as a separate issue and not as a way of life.

I want to add more point but oh my god someone open a lure module!!!! goodbye.

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