MUI Mulls over Declaring Haram Fatwa against PUBG
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22 March 2019 20:12 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) is mulling over issuing a fatwa or edict against playing the online game PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds or PUBG.
The battle royale game recently sparked controversies because of its similarities with the mosque shootings in Christchurch, New Zealand, last Friday.
“If it [the game] clearly has a negative influence on the act of terrorism there, we will surely issue a haram fatwa. We will bar Muslims from playing the game,” said MUI secretary-general Muhammad Zaitun Rasmi today, March 22, in his office, Central Jakarta.
Zaitun explained the MUI’s research commission would study the game before submitting its notion to the fatwa commission. He said the team would collect information from the public in advance.
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“We will not decide about it too fast because we will study it first,” he remarked.
According to Zaitun, based on Islamic law, a product can be categorized as haram because of its impact. So the MUI will carry out a study as to whether the highly popular game is a dominant factor in the massacre. “If so, it will be banned,” he added.
The shooting game PUBG, which is popular among Indonesians, has been in the public limelight in the wake of the mosque shootings in Christchurch, New Zealand, on March 15. The game, produced by Tancent Games, requires its players to survive by fighting against other players using weapons.
EGI ADYATAMA