Fatwa against Pokemon Go as it’s deemed un-Islamic

Bareilly: Bareilly’s religious shrine Dargah Aala Hazrat on Saturday issued a fatwa against the ‘Pokemon Go’ saying the trend spells danger for its players.

The reality game, based on ‘catching’ digital characters like Squirtle and Pikachu is the most downloaded software from iOS and Google Play Stores, and has also pipped Facebook as the most used app in the world.

The clerics have termed the game un-Islamic as they are worried that in a bid to catch Pokemons, people may enter places of worship, creating law and order problems.

Mufti Mohammed Saleem Noori, spokesperson of the influential Barelvi seminary Dargah Aala Hazrat and the cleric who issued the fatwa, was quoted as saying.

Earlier, two residents of Mauritius had contacted Maulana Qamar Raza, a Port Louis-based cleric, to know whether playing Pokemon Go is un-Islamic.

Scholars in Saudi Arabia have also passed a fatwa against it. Islamic authorities in Malaysia and Iran have also imposed a ban on the game.