CAIR urges platforms to block Six Days in Fallujah release

In-game shot of urban destruction and combat in Six Days in Fallujah

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) issued a statement urging that the video game Six Days in Fallujah be prevented from being released or supported by the industry, naming Sony (PlayStation), Microsoft (Xbox) and Valve as recipients of the request.

CAIR described Six Days in Fallujah as “a simulator to kill Arabs” and cited coverage from IGN — which called the game “complicated and painful for those with ties to the real events” — and from TRT World, which said the title highlights “the problem of Islamophobia in the video game industry.”

Gameplay footage showing soldiers in an urban combat scene from Six Days in Fallujah — Gameplay from Six Days in Fallujah. Image: Highwire Games/Reproduction

Group says game normalizes violence against Muslims

In its statement, CAIR argued that the game normalizes violence against Muslims in the United States and worldwide and that the gaming industry must stop dehumanizing Muslim people. The organization said games like Six Days in Fallujah serve to glorify violence that killed hundreds of Iraqi civilians, justify the Iraq War and reinforce anti-Muslim sentiment at a time when intolerance threatens lives.

History of controversy and a previous cancellation

Six Days in Fallujah has been controversial since before its planned release. The project was initially canceled in 2009 by Konami, which had been set to distribute the title amid criticism over its premise, which is based on events involving alleged wartime atrocities.

The city of Fallujah was heavily damaged during the Iraq War in 2004, and humanitarian organizations have long accused U.S. and British forces of massacring local residents. Historical records cited in the original reporting place roughly 1,000 Fallujah residents among those killed during the military operations.

Developers restarted the project with veterans and civilians

In February, developer Victura and publisher Highwire Games announced they had restarted production on the game. They said the new version would differ substantially from the pre-2009 project and that development involved contributions from more than 100 military personnel — including Marines and front-line soldiers who were at the Battle of Fallujah — as well as Iraqi civilians who provided personal stories, photographs and videos.

Peter Tamte, CEO of Victura and former president of Atomic Games (the studio that partnered with Konami in 2009), argued the game offers a new way to understand a significant recent event and challenged “outdated stereotypes about what video games can be.”

Eddie Garcia, a former Navy corpsman wounded during the Battle of Fallujah who proposed the original idea for Six Days in Fallujah in 2005, said that sometimes “the only way to understand what is true is to experience the reality for yourself.”