Video Game Depicts Kurds As Terrorists

“The terrorists are introduced as Kurds but they only speak Arabic.”

STOCKHOLM, Sweden -- A video game has made it to the list of the best games in Sweden. Kurds and Kurdistan are referred to in the game, but as terrorists.

Most Kurdish youth in Europe who play computer and video games do not appear bothered by a game that depicts Kurds as terrorists.

A Kurdish computer expert says, “That’s normal.”

A new version battlefield, a video game was released in Europe in October. Around five million copies of the game were sold in just one week. This game is about American soldiers fighting terrorism with advanced weapons.

The game that is a product of an American--Swedish company portrays Iraqi Kurdistan and Sulaimani city as terrorist hideouts. In the game, the terrorists speak Arabic and not Kurdish, but they are introduced as Kurds.

A group of US soldiers are dropped by a helicopter in Iraqi Kurdistan on a mission where they encounter a group of terrorists. The scene of the counter is Sulaimani’s main downtown market which the game shows as a deserted place with slaughtered animals and carcasses.

The commander’s voice is heard over the radio ordering the soldiers to head to the butchers market where the terrorists are hiding. Later, the US soldiers leave for Tehran, the capital of Iran, to stop nuclear bombs from being fired at Paris and New York.

After a successful mission the soldiers return to their base. 

According to AFP news agency the game has been banned in Iran. The Iranian police have raided stores that sold or copied the game.

According to a survey conducted by Rudaw in Sweden and the Netherlands, most of the Kurdish youth in those two countries have no issues with Kurds being introduced as terrorists in the game.

But Yasin Akan, 23, is not fond of the new game.

“The game is another American propaganda,” he said. “They want to say that the Middle East is a safe haven for the terrorists.”

Yasin has listened carefully to voices in the game to identity the nationality of the terrorists.

“The terrorists are introduced as Kurds but they only speak Arabic.” He said. “Their leader speaks Arabic but the others speak Persian.”

Akan added, “The message is that the Americans want to say they are good guys and the Middle Easterners are bad guys.”

Botan Alla, 20, a resident of Sweden, said, “The game is just a fantasy and fantasy is free.”

“The game doesn’t mention that all the Kurds are terrorists,”

Alla believes that “One game wouldn’t make Kurds terrorists.”

It is nice that the name of Kurdistan and Kurds are mentioned in a popular game like that, All said gratefully.

Sirwan Barzinji, 23 and a resident of the Netherlands, said Kurds shouldn’t hold grudge against the makers of the game.

“We shouldn’t consider those who build the game enemies,” he said. “It is just a game.”

Barzinji added, “Games, music, and movies can make the Kurds more known in the world. The game says only a group of Kurds are terrorists and that is normal. In every country, there can be a group of terrorists.”

Shad Jutyar, 26, a resident of the Netherlands believes Turkey is behind this game.

“I am sure the Turks have funded the game,” he said. “Their aim is to show that the Kurds and Iranians are the same. Otherwise, why did they specifically mention Kurdistan?”

Shad calls on the Kurdish youth “not to buy the game” and send a protest letter to the companies that produce this game.

Hiwa Qadir is a Kurdish computer engineer. He is currently working for some European companies as a designer of computer games. Qadir told Rudaw laughingly over the phone, “You make a big deal out of this. If you are aware of computer game markets you would know that the companies build a game based on its closeness to reality and how much they are desired in the market. There are currently tensions between Iran and the US and that is normal if the American games mention Iran.”

Hiwa said, “In the past, others have been mentioned in American games such as, Vietnamese, Arabs, and Afghanis. Kurds are not the first people to be used in these games.”