A Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 map has been pulled after a number of Muslim gamers complained over Islamic script featured in a bathroom on one of the levels.
The popular ‘Favela’ multiplayer map features a bathroom in which one of the Prophet Muhammad’s sayings (a hadith) is written around a mirror.
According to IGN, the script reads“Allah is beautiful and He loves beauty” and can be viewed through the crosshairs of a weapon on the second floor bathroom.
The discovery comes in the context of the recent global furore surrounding the anti-Islamic YouTube film ‘Innocence of Muslims’, which sparked widespread and occasionally violent protests in many countries.
The presence of the offending in-game object was flagged up on YouTube. The game’s makers Activision said they had removed the level until an update can be released, whereupon the map will be reinstated.
“We are working as quickly as possible to remove this image and any other similar ones we may find from our various game libraries.
“We are urgently working to release a Title Update to remove the texture from Modern Warfare 3. We are also working to remove the texture from Modern Warfare 2 through a separate Title Update. Until the TU is ready, we have removed the Favela multiplayer map from online rotation.
“Activision and our development studios are respectful of diverse cultures and religious beliefs, and sensitive to concerns raised by its loyal game players. We thank our fans for bringing this to our attention.”
However the move to temporarily remove the map has caused uproar amongst some gamers. A rash of videos has sprung up on YouTube decrying Activision’s decision.
Some gamers complained that the script should remain as video games are known for their controversial content.
Another said that because the writing had only just been noticed, despite Modern Warfare 2 first being released in 2009, then it was an overreaction to remove the level.
But other gamers were content for the map to be altered.
“A developer accidentally put an unintentionally offensive and inaccurate thing in a game, some gamers nicely asked them to fix it, and then the developer actually agreed to fix it,” said a reader at Kotaku.
“We shouldn’t get all up in arms and blow this out of proportion. It’s not a big deal in the least.”