Israel Warns about Pokemon Go and Egypt Declares It Un-Islamic

Despite its unexpected popularity in the Arab world, Middle Eastern leaders do not approve of the viral game “possessing the minds” of its players.
Just like the rest of the world, the craze of the augmented reality phenomenon that projects fake animals from your childhood onto the streets through your phone is also sweeping through the Middle East at a fast pace.

The nostalgic fad of the year, “Pokemon Go,” might not have been officially released in the region, but many smartphone users have reportedly managed to download it on their devices — joining countless fans across the globe on the quest to find the Japanese "pocket monsters."

The location-based game, in which the worst thing to happen is a Pokemon escaping a “Poké Ball,” has seen people falling off cliffs and getting stabbed but refusing treatment because they wanted to “catch ‘em all.”

While even politicians in the West have started jumping on the bandwagon, some Middle Eastern leaders have expressed their distaste towards the viral game. In fact, Egyptian clerics have actually declared “Pokemon Go” forbidden in Islam.

“This game makes people look like drunkards in the streets and on the roads while their eyes are glued to the mobile screens leading them to the location of the imaginary Pokemon in the hope of catching it,” said Abbas Shuman, deputy head of Egypt's top Islamic institution. “Will we find some lunatics walk into mosques, churches, prisons and military units in search of the missing [Pokemon]?”

In 2001, Egypt’s then highest Islamist official, Grand Mufti Nasr Fareed, issued a fatwa against the Pokémon franchise, calling it un-Islamic for allegedly promoting Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution.

Unsurprisingly, Egypt is not the only country to warn people against the game.

The Higher Committee for Scientific Research and Islamic Law in Saudi Arabia has also issued a fatwa against Pokemon, describing it as "possessing the minds" of children while promoting Zionism and gambling.

Moreover, the Israel Defense Forces has also warned its soldiers against playing the game on military bases, as it requires a camera.

“The game is a source for gathering information!” the IDF's Information Security Department said in a statement. “The game cannot be used on an army base!”

They fear the soldiers might accidentally reveal sensitive information about military bases and army operations through the game.

the CIA’s venture capital firm In-Q-Tel to develop what eventually became Google Earth.

In-Q-Tel was once described as an “independent strategic investment firm that identifies innovative technology solutions to support the missions of the U.S. Intelligence Community.”

It’s easy to see why the CIA would have an interest in the software behind Pokémon Go; the game utilizes the player’s camera and gyroscope to display an image of a Pokémon as though it were in the real world, such as the player’s apartment complex or workplace bathroom.

Software like that could theoretically turn millions of smartphone users into ‘Imperial probe droids’ who take real-time, ground-level footage of their cities and homes, reaching into dark alleyways and basements which spy satellites and Google cars can’t reach.

In the early 2000s, In-Q-Tel invested in Keyhole Inc., the company founded by Hanke which developed 3D “flyby” images of buildings and terrain from geospatial data collected by satellites.

The name “Keyhole” was a homage to the KH spy satellites first launched by the American National Reconnaissance Office.

Google later purchased Keyhole in 2004 and rolled its technology into Google Earth.

The CIA established In-Q-Tel in 1999 as its venture capital arm to “identify and invest in companies developing cutting-edge information technologies that serve United States national security interests,” according to the firm itself.

Rick Wiles a US pastor, who also runs the Trunews website, warned that "these Pokémon creatures are like virtual cyber-demons".

"I believe this thing is a magnet for demonic powers," he said.

According to Right-Wing Watch, Wiles went on to warn: "What is this technology is transferred to Islamic jihadists and Islamic jihadists have an app that shows them where Christians are located geographically?

"The enemy, Satan, is targeting churches with virtual, digital, cyber demons... They're spawning demons inside your church. They're targeting your church with demonic activity. This technology will be used by the enemies of the cross to target, locate, and execute Christians."