After slapping a fatwa on PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG) in Aceh, a province that upholds the sharia, the Aceh Ulema Council (MPU) has called on the central government to ban the popular but violent online game nationwide.

Claiming it could trigger aggressive behavior and addiction, MPU chairman Muslim Ibrahim said the council hoped that the central government would block all websites and online games that contain violence or pornography, as well as to watch out for providers of such games.

“We have completed a deep review using [Islamic jurisprudence] and technology and conducted psychological observation. All [MPU members] agree that the game can lead to crime, psychological and moral crisis and create public disruption. So, we declare the game haram,” Muslim said.

PUBG is a battle royale competition that resembles the Hunger Games novels and movie series, where 100 players face off with machine guns and assault rifles until only one is left standing. After China’s Tencent Holdings Ltd. introduced a mobile version of the death match that’s free to play, it has become the most popular smartphone game in the world, with enthusiasts from the US and Russia to Malaysia.

The violent nature of the game has forced governments in Iraq, Nepal and the Indian state of Gujarat to forbid it in their areas.

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