Saudi Arabia slams Pokemon Go as "un-Islamic"

The characters are based on the evolutionary theory of Darwin, rejected by Islam. In addition, most of the playing cards represent symbols of "deviant" religions and organizations, such as "international Zionism" and Israel, Freemasonry or Christian Crosses and Shinto symbols.


Riyadh (AsiaNews / Agencies) -  Pokemon Go, the game that has gone viral globally,  is "un-Islamic”, according to the Standing Committee of Saudi Arabia and its scholars have reissued the edict of 2001 on the game in response to "many questions received" on it from people.

Pokemon Go, which is based on the 1996 Nintendo game, has created a global frenzy as players roam in the real world in search of cartoon characters with sometimes dramatic results, such as crashes, accidents and similar events.

Despite the fact that Pokemon Go is not yet officially available in Saudi Arabia, many have illegally downloaded and started the hunt for virtual "pocket monsters".

The fatwa states that we are near the gambling and that his characters are based on the evolutionary theory of Darwin, rejected by Islam. In addition, most of the playing cards represent symbols of "deviant" religions and organizations, such as "international Zionism" and Israel, Freemasonry or Christian crosses and symbols of Shinto, the religion of Japan.