Kedah Just Declared Pokémon GO 'Haram' And It Now Wants Authorities To Block It
"Children may believe Pokémon GO can make magic"
By Sadho Ram — 11 Aug 2016, 04:27 AM
On one hand, Pokémon GO has garnered an incredible amount of positive craze. In fact, the popular game has amassed over RM806 million in less than a month.
But at the same time, it has also faced strong opposition from a number of government and religious bodies.
Case in point being IGP Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar, who had said that the Malaysian police will monitor the game even before it was released in the country.
Another being Penang Mufti Wan Salim Wan Mohd Noor, who wanted the game to be declared 'haram', a full 10 days before it was finally made available in Malaysia.
After its release, it was even banned from schools in the country under the existing school rules, where students are prohibited from using mobile phones in schools.
Now, it's been declared 'haram' by the Kedah Fatwa Council
The decision, which is expected to cause controversy among Pokémon GO lovers, was made by the Council in a meeting comprising 10 committee members held at its office in Anak Bukit, yesterday, 10 August, astro AWANI reported.
With this decision, though, Kedah has become the first state in Malaysia to do so.
Photo of Pokémon Go being played at the Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin Mosque in Putrajaya.
Image via Bernama via astro AWANIaBut Kedah Mufti Datuk Sheikh Mohammed Baderudin isn't just content with declaring Pokémon GO as 'haram'.
He wants it to be not only prohibited, but also prevented and blocked from being played in the country.
According to the State Mufti, government and related authorities have been urged to ban the game's application from being downloaded and played in Malaysia.
"We decided to prevent and forbid it. Forbidding without preventing will not stop the people from playing the game. We found that Pokémon GO contains more harm than good and gives negative impact to Muslims," he told reporters.`
He even claimed that it not only has a negative impact on the Muslim community but also the nation in general
According to Bernama, the Kedah Fatwa Committee would recommend to the Kedah Islamic Affairs Department (JAIK) to include Pokemon Go in Friday sermons and put signs at mosques to make them out of reach to players.
Citing an example that people are playing Pokemon GO inside mosques and even a prayer houses, he added that the game also could harm the country's safety and security, especially when it is played in restricted areas such as army camps and other high-security areas, New Straits Time Online reported.
"We are worried that this game will have a negative impact on children as they may believe Pokémon GO can make magic while only Allah are capable of things beyond our ability," the Malay Mail Online quoted him as saying
