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[FoneBone]

Huh. I didn't even notice it the first time through, and I was listening for it.

But it sounds like they sampled an actual Islamic chant and stuck that clip in the game randomly. That's pretty sloppy, given the complaints that led to similar samplings being removed from Zelda: OOT and and entire f'ing recall on Kakuto Chojin due to a sampled chant. It's fiscally irresponsible, and the sound designer should know better. People are going to complain, so why risk it? At least they caught this one pre-release.

shut up, you PC tool

 

[Twix]

actually capcom did not just put the phrase " Allahu Akbar " , they have put a part of sacred Athan ( the prayer call , which is one of the most sacred things to Muslims ).

Nintendo did the same thing with The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, they responded to the protests by replacing the hole soundtrack with a Gregorian chant:

The theme for the Fire Temple is most likely inspired by an Islamic prayer call, with a male chorus chanting in the second half of the song. Due to some protest, Nintendo changed this in later cartridges to a vague Gregorian chant.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocarina_of_Time#Audio

I don’t know why some people would call these protests " ridiculous ".. respecting others believes is an important part of the coexisting process..peace.

 

[radios shipping overview]

shut up, you PC tool

Read my post again. It's about not taking unnecessary financial risks (due to sloppiness!) on what should be a risk-free title.

 

[PepsimanVsJoe]

Read my post again. It's about not taking unnecessary risks (due to sloppiness!) on what should be a risk-free title.

He was being saracastic. But I only know that because I was following his posts in the RE5 racism thread.

Ah, my mistake, then. I haven't been following that mess since the third page.

No worries.

 

[radios shipping overview]

Ah, my mistake, then. I haven't been following that mess since the third page.

 

[PkunkFury]

Huh. I didn't even notice it the first time through, and I was listening for it.

But it sounds like they sampled an actual Islamic chant and stuck that clip in the game randomly. That's pretty sloppy, given the complaints that led to similar samplings being removed from Zelda: OOT and and entire f'ing recall on Kakuto Chojin due to a sampled chant. It's fiscally irresponsible, and the sound designer should know better. People are going to complain, so why risk it? At least they caught this one pre-release.

as has been said, this was most definitely a case of stock audio that the devs had no reason to beleive was harmful. It's in the background, and if you aren't listening for the particular words, it's hard to even tell what the guy's saying. Stock audio clips are used ad nauseaum in games and movies, so Capcom llikely had this lying around in a library of files they got from who knows when. As you say, it's good that this was caught pre-release. They'll probably dump chantA.wav from their sound banks and switch to chantB.wav instead from now on

 

[ZiZ]

I doubt Japanese developers would know what it was.

they probably thought it sounded like a tribal chant or something.

Muslims would probably find this offensive because it is a phrase used a lot during praying and worship. and seeing as how those savages were performing some kind of ritual it would probably hint that those savages were somehow related to Muslims.

in the end they took out the sound (which sounded totally out of place anyway) , no harm done and thank you Capcom for responding to the matter.

 

[C- Warrior]

Black people in Haiti/Africa makes sense.

A islamic chant in cute, chibi, adventure title -- err?

I hate censorship, but that was just stupid to include in the first place. Good thing they took it out, not because I care about religious frailty, but moreso it was out of context.

 

[saelz8]

Allahu Akbar just means "God is great" in Arabic

 

[Innotech]

I laughed my ass off when I heard that in the video. now Im pissed that theyre taking it out.
Ill still buy the game though. I finally went and preordered it today.

 

[Khalid-S]

I doubt Japanese developers would know what it was.

they probably thought it sounded like a tribal chant or something.

Muslims would probably find this offensive because it is a phrase used a lot during praying and worship. and seeing as how those savages were performing some kind of ritual it would probably hint that those savages were somehow related to Muslims.

in the end they took out the sound (which sounded totally out of place anyway) , no harm done and thank you Capcom for responding to the matter.

QFT.

 

[ksamedi]

I laughed my ass off when I heard that in the video. now Im pissed that theyre taking it out.
Ill still buy the game though. I finally went and preordered it today.

I thought it was funny as well, but one has to wonder why a Japanese company inserted Allah is the greatest into a puzzle game in the first place.

 

[Innotech]

I thought it was funny as well, but one has to wonder why a Japanese company inserted Allah is the greatest into a puzzle game in the first place.

because Japan has a sense of humor?

 

[mrkgoo]

I don't see what the big deal with removing it is.

IF there was a call in the game such as, "Praise the Lord, Jesus Christ is my saviour", you'd all be up in arms wanting to have it removed.

So whatever. I'm glad it's gone.

 

[GhaleonQ]

To be fair, the Council has funnelled money through terrorist- and oligarch-supporting groups. They, at least, should lay off.

 

[castle007]

I watched the clip, and I can see how some people might find this offensive. It is totally out of place. I am glad that capcom removed it.

But this isn't a good sign for RE5

 

[AzureNightmare]

 

[Slurpy]

You people are ****ing hilarious. You're so quick to ask 'HOW DO THEY KNOW ITS OFFFENSIVE' and to attack CAIR, yet at the same time how do you know it WASNT offensive, and it wasnt in bad taste? You don't. Stop jumping to conclusions. I very much doubt removing this has affected the quality of the game, and it if was deemed offensive to some, then maybe it was for the best. You all accuse others that they act victimized, yet the victimization displayed here is ridiculous. WHats wrong with having a little respect for the beliefs of others, and to stand up for those beliefs?

 

[Slavik81]

As to why they caved, just look at the whole Danish newspaper mess.

I really sincerely hope that isn't true. Nobody should be afraid of being murdered over something they wrote.

 

[Particle Physicist]

i understand that 'allahu akbar' is associated with the muslim religion, but isnt it just arabic? and arent there all kinds of religions within the arab ethnicity?

 

[Sirusjr]

I don't see what the big deal with removing it is.

IF there was a call in the game such as, "Praise the Lord, Jesus Christ is my saviour", you'd all be up in arms wanting to have it removed.

So whatever. I'm glad it's gone.

I wouldn't want it removed though. I dont see how anything negative could come from someone proclaiming that in a game. I am a catholic and I would see no problems with that.

 

[Particle Physicist]

I don't see what the big deal with removing it is.

IF there was a call in the game such as, "Praise the Lord, Jesus Christ is my saviour", you'd all be up in arms wanting to have it removed.

So whatever. I'm glad it's gone.

that is not a fair comparison though.

if there were a game called 'God is Great!'

no one would be up in arms.

 

[shinsnake]

Seriously, Capcom had to remove the phrase. Otherwise, there would be riots, gun violence, beheadings, bombings, and arson. Hell, look at what some cartoons caused.

I don’t know why some people would call these protests " ridiculous ".. respecting others believes is an important part of the coexisting process..peace.

And coexisting is not achieved with being overly sensitive. It's achieved with being accepting of other's stupidity. Comedy Central didn't remove Sarah Silverman's one night stand with God because it offended me.

 

[Primordial]

To be fair, the Council has funnelled money through terrorist- and oligarch-supporting groups. They, at least, should lay off.

proof?

 

[FoneBone]

Seriously, Capcom had to remove the phrase. Otherwise, there would be riots, gun violence, beheadings, bombings, and arson. Hell, look at what some cartoons caused.

^^^ I think this thread just got several times more retarded than the RE5 one. And in less than 1/10th the space, to boot! Congrats!

And coexisting is not achieved with being overly sensitive. It's achieved with being accepting of other's stupidity. Comedy Central didn't remove Sarah Silverman's one night stand with God because it offended me.

The difference is, this isn't edgy, deliberately offensive humor like that show, or a product targeted at older gamers (like GTA, or maybe even RE5) where controversy might be a draw. It's a KIDS' GAME, intended to be as noncontroversial as possible.

 

[Kintaro]

Why would something so specific to Islam be in the game in this first place? This is a brightly colored adventure game, right?

Because it sounded cool. And I'm not even lying. That's the main reason half the time something odd like this makes it into games/anime/etc.

 

[Nabs]

I doubt Japanese developers would know what it was.

they probably thought it sounded like a tribal chant or something.

Muslims would probably find this offensive because it is a phrase used a lot during praying and worship. and seeing as how those savages were performing some kind of ritual it would probably hint that those savages were somehow related to Muslims.

in the end they took out the sound (which sounded totally out of place anyway) , no harm done and thank you Capcom for responding to the matter.

basically. after watchin the clip, im glad they removed it.

 

[mrkgoo]

I wouldn't want it removed though. I dont see how anything negative could come from someone proclaiming that in a game. I am a catholic and I would see no problems with that.

It's about context. If that were in Super MArio, you can nearly bet everyone would be against having it in. Unless it was the Christian Church World level.

I'm not against religious references, but the game needs to be appropriate for it. As far as I know, Zach and Wiki is not, so I don't mind it being gone.

quadriplegicjon: of course it is a good comparison. Noone would would be up in arms about a title, if the game was about that. Again, context. Zack/wiki isn't about Islam faith, nor making comment about it. So it needs not any common muslim prayer/phrase/whatever. It's not even about being PC, just about being appropriate.

 

[Sho Nuff]

Public domain sound library, Japanese developers, end of story

 

[GhaleonQ]

"proof?"

It's easy to find. Also, I worked at the Faith-Based Initiative Office that denied them funds due to "ongoing investigations."

 

[MickeyKnox]

Public domain sound library, Japanese developers, end of story

Pretty much.

 

[GSG Flash]

That wasn't really necessary to have in the game, unlike the Africans in RE5, this is easy to replace with just another chant.

I also remember the fire temple thing, I thought it sounded better with the azan verses, more mystical, but I think there's some kind of rule where any portion of the prayer can't be used for entertainment purposes, which is why CAIR asked them to remove it.

 

[Nintaiyo]

Capcom is on a roll lately.

 

[Me_Marcadet]

I noticed it when I saw the gameplay footage and it made me laugh.
Japanese dev are very funny with those type of reference

 

[Particle Physicist]

quadriplegicjon: of course it is a good comparison. Noone would would be up in arms about a title, if the game was about that. Again, context. Zack/wiki isn't about Islam faith, nor making comment about it. So it needs not any common muslim prayer/phrase/whatever. It's not even about being PC, just about being appropriate.

the point that i was trying to make was that the term 'Allahu akba' is just 'god is great' in arabic. that is not a prayer, but a phrase.. a phrase that christian and jewish arabs say as well. i know the terms 'god is great,' 'god is all powerful,' etc. are in the old testament. and im pretty sure christian arabs dont pray in english, (though jewish arabs might pray in hebrew, i dont know).

what has happened here, and whats happened in the general west is that arabs, and arabic has been solely associated with islam when the truth is that there are quite a few monotheistic religions in the middle east. http://www.mideastinfo.com/religion.html

the title you suggested is specific to a religion, whereas the words 'Allahu akba' are not necessarily specific to islam.

 

[Shabaz]

I don't see what the big deal with removing it is.

IF there was a call in the game such as, "Praise the Lord, Jesus Christ is my saviour", you'd all be up in arms wanting to have it removed.

So whatever. I'm glad it's gone.

You are full of shit! Everyday Jesus is made fun of in the media. Christians can take a joke, others can't.

 

[FoneBone]

...except this was never intended as a "joke" at anyone's expense in the first place, and was merely there out of ignorance. but hey DAMN THEM ISLAMOFASCISTS

 

[GSG Flash]

the point that i was trying to make was that the term 'Allahu akba' is just 'god is great' in arabic. that is not a prayer, but a phrase.. a phrase that christian and jewish arabs say as well. i know the terms 'god is great,' 'god is all powerful,' etc. are in the old testament. and im pretty sure christian arabs dont pray in english, (though jewish arabs might pray in hebrew, i dont know).

what has happened here, and whats happened in the general west is that arabs, and arabic has been solely associated with islam when the truth is that there are quite a few monotheistic religions in the middle east. http://www.mideastinfo.com/religion.html

the title you suggested is specific to a religion, whereas the words 'Allahu akba' are not necessarily specific to islam.

The thing is that Takbir is exclusive to Islam and is almost always associated with Islam. I've seen and heard Arab Christians use the word Allah, as that is god in Arabic, but I have never heard them say Allahhu akbar.

 

[legend166]

In other news, that video makes me want Zack and Wiki even more.

 

[Alts]

To compare a soundclip of allahu akbar to people drawing cartoons of Mohammed knowing that depictions of Mohammed are not permitted is silly. The sound doesn't belong in there, and I would be offended if my religion were compared to the pagan practices of some bear-lion abominations.

 

[Barkley's Justice]

...something or other. But impeccable timing in light of the current RE5 fiasco.

Replace the specifics of this complaint with the specifics of the RE5 complaint, and hopefully that's not what will end up happening.

Capcom can't catch a break today.

could have been a hit game in arabic-speaking countries

 

[Particle Physicist]

The thing is that Takbir is exclusive to Islam and is almost always associated with Islam. I've seen and heard Arab Christians use the word Allah, as that is god in Arabic, but I have never heard them say Allahhu akbar.

i have been trying to find some actual information as to whether the term is used by christian arabs, but i have been unsuccessful at the moment. i was going with the assumption that since the term is just arabic for 'god is great' and that term appears in the bible, christians say it as well. so of course, my assumption could be quite incorrect..


i was just trying to have an actual legit discussion as opposed to the mudslinging that seems to be going on in the rest of the thread. so, for the moment, i concede that i was incorrect with my assumption. but i'll continue looking for more info.


EDIT

hmm.. as far as my quick google research goes. it seems that christian and jewish arabs say something more along the lines of 'Alhamdulillah' - 'Praise to God' .
so .. um. i recant my previous posts.

 

[Robert-GCA]

Maybe its just me, but I would feel honored if a company decided to use some phrases or speech from a religion that I belonged to. I'd think it would be pretty cool. I would have preferred Capcom to stand up for themselves and leave it in there, but its their game.

 

[devilscallmedad]

I doubt if this was coincidence, i remember there was a small controversy in the gaming circles here in Pakistan when Devil may cry 3 hit there was a supposed to be door leading to hell or something and it had Quranic verses written on it and the design was similar to Kaabah.

 

[masud]

Capcom is under siege. :lol

Good, racist bastards.

 

[Barkley's Justice]

hey so i just watched the preview of this game over at shacknews where they say allah u akbar and yo -- it's really out of context. i agree that shit should be removed. they have these native tribals dudes cooking bones and shit and they yell it when you fail? come on yo...

 

[Slurpy]

...except this was never intended as a "joke" at anyone's expense in the first place, and was merely there out of ignorance. but hey DAMN THEM ISLAMOFASCISTS

Pretty much sums up the thread. People act angry at its removal, as if they believe theyre standing up for something or another. I watched the clip, and I dont see how anyone can say it shouldnt be removed. And please, stop comparing games to stand up comedy. Please.

 

[SouthernDragon]

Totally unexpected. Game looks great.

And Capcom slipped up. I find it hard to believe that they are plotting this at all.

"Ok, we hit the blacks, we got the muslims, we offended the latinos, quick, get the jews next!"

>_>

 

[GhaleonQ]

"Ok, we hit the blacks, we got the muslims, we offended the latinos, quick, get the jews next!"

>_>

Super Smash Brothers Brawl reveal: Wario's Seder costume! "Wah! I-a love-a the money!"

 

[mrkgoo]

the point that i was trying to make was that the term 'Allahu akba' is just 'god is great' in arabic. that is not a prayer, but a phrase.. a phrase that christian and jewish arabs say as well. i know the terms 'god is great,' 'god is all powerful,' etc. are in the old testament. and im pretty sure christian arabs dont pray in english, (though jewish arabs might pray in hebrew, i dont know).

what has happened here, and whats happened in the general west is that arabs, and arabic has been solely associated with islam when the truth is that there are quite a few monotheistic religions in the middle east. http://www.mideastinfo.com/religion.html

the title you suggested is specific to a religion, whereas the words 'Allahu akba' are not necessarily specific to islam.

To be honest, I really don't know what I'm talking about, but I stand by my argument (in its limited capacity). Maybe you're right about the term being (perhaps wrongly) associated with Arabic Islam, but I'm not sure it is just a generic term in Arab - kind of like the difference between saying 'our god is great' or 'God is great'. It may be a general term, OR, in context, it could be a specific prayer.

Regardless, I think it's inappropriate in Zack and Wiki, unless the level was meant to be an Arabic level, or Islamic level.

You are full of shit! Everyday Jesus is made fun of in the media. Christians can take a joke, others can't.

Yes, Jesus is made fun of, but in predominantly Christian countries. It's laughing at oneself. Similarly, it's inappropriate for 'white' people to make fun of 'black' people, yet somehow it is acceptable for 'black' to make fun of other 'blacks' (or insert whatever ethnicity, religion, minority group or whatever).

Anyway, I doubt the term 'Allah Akbar' (or however it went) in Z&W was used in jest - I simply claim it was likely used as a mistake, which is totally inappropriate for the game, and hence should be removed. If they were making fun of Arabs, then sure, it might be appropriate to have the phrase, but would then raise the issue of the whole thing being appropriate (making fun of Arabs/Islam or whatever you want the term to refer to).

Finally, however, I should probably give up my stance, seeing as I haven;t even seen the clip