Activision have pulled one of Modern Warfare’s most popular maps from rotation following complaints from some members of the Muslim community. The map, Favela, features two paintings in a bathroom, on the the frames of which is written a quotation attributed to the Prophet Muhammad.
The appearance of the quote – which reads ‘Allah is beautiful and He loves beauty’ – is considered offensive by complainants specifically due to its context. In Islam, bathrooms are considered by many an inappropriate place for holy teachings to be written.
Activision removed Favela from the game over the weekend, and plan to reinstate the map once edits have been made.
“We apologize to anyone who found this image offensive,” said Activision in a statement to Kotaku. “Please be assured we were unaware of this issue and that there was no intent to offend. 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 Favella 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.”
The issue was highlighted in a video posted by a Muslim gamer, who now feels compelled to defend himself – reminding players that he asked only for the image to be removed, not the map, and that “there’s a difference between Muslims and terrorists”.