Saudi religious edict bans smash hit 'Pokemon Go' game blaming Israel

Saudi Arabian religious leaders have updated an edict from 2001 to ban the playing of the mobile phone virtual reality game "Pokemon Go" in the kingdom. The order was released on the Internet site of the country's ministry of religion. Under the ruling 15 years ago, after the "Pokemon" card game was released, the country banned the sale, use or playing of the game, which it claimed encouraged gambling and exposed citizens to "forbidden" pictures. The latest ruling posted by one of the Saudi religious leaders claims that some of the symbols in the game are taken from the Israeli flag, namely a six-sided star, or from Christianity. Other leading Muslim clerics in the Arab world, especially in Egypt and Kuwait, have issued similar rulings or instructions not to play Pokemon Go in mosques and shopping centers.