America's largest Muslim advocacy group, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), is asking Microsoft, Sony, and Valve to drop Six Days in Fallujah from their platforms.
CAIR released a statement calling the game an "'Arab murder simulator' that glorifies violence that took the lives of over 800 Iraqi civilians, justifies the illegal invasion of Iraq, and reinforces Islamophobic narratives."
The group particularly noted the use of white phosphorus by American soldiers, a controversial chemical munition that caused severe burns and permanent lung damage in the enclosed combat areas of The Second Battle for Fallujah.
“We call on Microsoft, Sony, and Valve to ban their platforms from hosting ‘Six Days in Fallujah,’ an Arab murder simulator that will only normalize violence against Muslims in America and around the world," said CAIR coordinator Huzaifa Shahbaz. “The gaming industry must stop dehumanizing Muslims. Video games like Six Days in Fallujah only serve to glorify violence that took the lives of hundreds of Iraqi civilians, justify the Iraq war, and reinforce anti-Muslim sentiment at a time when anti-Muslim bigotry continues to threaten human life.”
Despite the decade gap, controversy still surrounds the game thanks to its questionable subject matter amid accusations of US atrocities and war crimes. Vicutra CEO Peter Tamte has said that Six Days in Fallujah "isn't interested in political commentary," a statement that was almost immediately walked back by the company itself saying that the game is "inseparable from politics."
Microsoft, Sony, and Valve have yet to comment. Six Days In Fallujah is scheduled to release in Q4 2021.