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Game by Edios Interactive Depicts Racist Violence
Background to joint action against incitement of racism
Issue
Eidos Interactive, a leading publisher of video games, recently released Hitman 2: Silent Assassin. Hitman 2 game makers include game characters that represent the Sikhs (a nation of 26 million people sharing a common religion, history and culture) and the Dalits (an oppressed people in India).
 Hitman portrays Dalits as followers of an evil cult leader, according to a vivid description in the game. The game also glorifies violent altercations of turbaned Sikh game characters inside a Gurdwara, a Sikh house of worship. Hitman 2 specifically constructs a location in the game that closely replicates Harmander Sahib, also known as the Golden Temple. Harmander Sahib is a holy Sikh place of worship that serves as the religious and a political center for Sikhs worldwide and is held in reverence by Sikhs, just as the Vatican by Catholics.
In Hitman 2, Darbar Sahib becomes a specific site for bloodshed.
Game makers pit Sikh and Dalit game characters against a
Western “hero”.
The makers of Hitman 2 failed to recognize the harmful forms of expression that link Sikhs and Dalits with acts of violence within a sacred Sikh site of worship such as Harmander Sahib.
Background
 Recent national and international events remind global citizens that we live in a world that resorts to violence as a legitimate way to resolve conflict. Violence has also become a harmful form of expression signifying the serious void of respect for human life. The recent sniper killings in Washington D.C. coupled with the international terrorism of September 11th have left most American citizens paralyzed with fear and seriously questioning the world we are constructing for future generations.
Sikhs all over the world experienced this senseless violence first hand in a very intimate way. During the wake of September 11th, the media inaccurately linked the Sikh spiritual uniform most widely recognized as the turban and beard with active international terrorist groups. This link resulted in a heightened feeling of fear and hate towards groups that look different. This simple association manifested into the murder of a Sikh man in Arizona while many other Sikhs experienced violent assaults in a matter of days. Ironically, the Sikh spiritual uniform incorporating a beard for men and a turban for both men and some women represents a sacred contract to a value system that prizes compassion and acceptance of all people.
Current Situation
 The game makers of Hitman 2 lacked an understanding of the political persecution Sikhs and Dalits have lived through in India and the recent less violent racism the Sikh community has lived through in North America and Europe in the wake of September 11th. This consistent layering of violence and hatred against minority groups has resulted in an unstable environment for the global community.
Hitman 2 sends messaging to youth engaged in the game plot that killing people who look different and killing in general is a celebrated value in today's society. These dangerous notions perpetuate divisions and intolerance amongst people in a very multicultural global village.
Hitman 2 adds to the current climate of intolerance and racial/religious hatred by propagating negative media constructed stereotypes of Sikhs, Hitman 2 in a current climate of intolerance and racial/religious hatred.
All people of conscience need to take a stand. We will not tolerate bigotry against any group. We hope that you will join us in our fight against this profit-motivated racism by Edios Interactive.
Objective
Over a hundred social justice organizations have come together, demanding the following of Eidos:
- Removal of the game from the market by recalling all
shipped copies.
- Removal of all content that promotes (or depicts) violence
against Dalits and Sikhs.
The Sikh Coalition, along with numerous like-minded organizations, launched an online petition to involve concerned citizens on the grassroots level. The response to the online petition has been tremendous.
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