Hello,

Today, I experienced a very disappointing incident on the DS Trail Event server of Live For Speed. My username in the game, "} Allahu Akbar", is a common name in the Middle East and holds no negative connotations.

One of the experienced players on the server, p v l, asked me to change my name, claiming that it made him uncomfortable. I explained that my name violated no rules and that I would not change it. In response, I was kicked (banned) from the server.

During our brief conversation, it was mentioned that topics like religion or politics are not discussed on the server. However, banning me solely for having the name Allahu Akbar suggests that this rule is being used as an excuse. I asked if I would face the same treatment if I changed my username to J.F. Kennedy, George Bush, or Jesus Christ. He subtly indicated that these names would not result in a ban, but Allahu Akbar would.

This is a clear example of discrimination and double standards. If the server enforces rules against religious or political references, these rules should be applied equally to all names. However, it seems that only Allahu Akbar was targeted, reflecting a discriminatory attitude.

I am not requesting that my ban be lifted. My primary concern is to ensure that such discriminatory behavior and double standards have no place in the Live For Speed community. I urge the implementation of more effective policies to uphold the values of fairness, tolerance, and equality within the community.

Thank you.

It seems like huge misunderstanding each other.

Unfortunately ur name is strongly connected with terrorism (due to memes too) here so I don't think thats really discrimination but it seems like PVL conected dots wrong.

Swastika symbol have the same reputation here.

Quote from versiu :

It seems like huge misunderstanding each other...

Unfortunately, it seems that the phrase "Allahu Akbar" is being wrongly associated with negative connotations. In reality, the phrase simply means "God is Great" and carries no other meaning. We use this expression frequently in our daily lives, just as you might say "Jesus Christ." In Islamic culture, it is a phrase of reverence and carries no harmful or negative connotations.

Please refrain from misunderstanding any linguistic expression. "Allahu Akbar" only has a religious meaning and is never used with negative intent. This phrase is employed out of respect, and any attempt to associate it with negative connotations is both incorrect and misleading. While some individuals may misuse this phrase, this does not alter its original meaning or intended use. Such misinterpretations are disrespectful to cultural and religious sensitivities.

Quote from uf1 :

Please refrain from misunderstanding any linguistic expression. "Allahu Akbar" only has a religious meaning and is never used with negative intent.

In Europe, if u write that in youtube, first and most what u see is clips where people screaming "Allahu Akbar" and shooting or detonating bomb.

Swastika symbol is religious symbol too but it was used by one psychically ill dictator who killed a lot of people and it's literally banned here now.

It wasn't supposed to have negative intent but some people used it when they were killing other people so it gained that negative reputation here.

Quote from versiu :

In Europe, if u write that in youtube, first and most what u see is clips where...

In my country, bombs explode, and terrorist organizations kill innocent people. These acts have nothing to do with Islam or “Allahu Akbar.” On the contrary, these groups harm Islam and humanity. The essence of Islam and this phrase is peace, justice, and compassion. Muslims use “Allahu Akbar” daily to express their devotion to God and to pray.

Your country does not experience such tragedies, but that does not grant you the right to misunderstand or misrepresent my culture or faith. Poland, too, has suffered throughout history, and its struggles for freedom and values should not be misrepresented. Similarly, the sacred phrases of Islam should not be taken out of context.

Terrorism has no religion; it is driven by the malevolent ideologies of its perpetrators. “Allahu Akbar” is not a threat but a symbol of love, peace, and greatness.

You’re missing the point, it’s not because what religious meaning is behind it. The phrase is for Europe and america very closely linked to terrorism because they misuse it for their personal/political goals.

The Swastika used to mean good luck in northern and eastern European regions and in Asia but because of what happened between 1939-1945 it’s banned in most countries in Europe.

For you personally that might not matter because it’s part of your daily life or religion but for others who might have survived a terrorist attack or lost loved ones or friends to it i could understand it would come in as offensive.

Hope this helps you understand where it might cause so problems/controvesies.

However, this is your own fault if PVL had asked nicely to change your name. Allahu Akbar is in Europe a terrorist statement by terrorists, don't get me wrong but in Europe we have had to deal with it a lot like in November 2015 in Paris, surely you have heard or seen that news. Some people something like that is too sensitive or as PVL brought up it was "non-conformtable" to use that name and you were asked once again to change that and you refuse, then on one hand I understand PVL and you have been stubborn and so own fault but I would also back you up now for a moment, the name George Bush is nothing wrong with it than it was the president of America. The name Jesus Christ is also not very desirable among the faith community (people who are religious) so if PVL has said that it is not a problem to use that as a Username in game then I certainly will not give PVL the benefit of the doubt. I can't do any further judgement on it because I don't play LFS anymore. But as I read your post both of you are guilty of and this seems as others also say it "Misunderstanding" I will if I were you have a conversation with PVL and come to a solution for both of you. But I will not just use that name Allahu Akbar even if it is normal for your culture. That is purely my opinion. I have nothing against cultures of other countries just for the record!

Quote from uf1 :

I asked if I would face the same treatment if I changed my username to J.F. Kennedy, George Bush, or Jesus Christ. He subtly indicated that these names would not result in a ban, but Allahu Akbar would.

Hello, this just did not happen. It can be seen in our server logs as well as in our live-chat on discord those words were not written.

To clear up what really happened, lets see some quotes from live-chat:

[DS] P V L (EVT) : i like to have religion, politics out
[21:54]
} Allahu Akbar (EVT) : my name is allahuekber
[21:55]
} Allahu Akbar (EVT) : MY name is
[21:55]
} Allahu Akbar (EVT) : real name
[21:55]
} Allahu Akbar (EVT) : allahuekber
[21:55]
[DS] P V L (EVT) : use that then
not monk (EVT) : for racism
[DS] P V L (EVT) : how can it be racism to ask ppl to keep religion or politics off here ?
not monk (EVT) : ill change my name
[22:01]
not monk (EVT) : to allahuekber
[DS] P V L (EVT) : [DS] P V L says yes yes :-))
[DS] P V L (EVT) : allahuekber you said..


As you can easy see you told me your real name would be "allahuekber", I said "yes yes" when you offered to use that instead.

But in fact you went back to use the name "Allahu Akbar" which I told you should not be used as I like to have any religious or

politic stuff out of our servers.Then I asked if its really worth to be the first ever person getting a ban in more than 5 years.

Some more quotes:

[DS] P V L (EVT) :  } Allahu Akbar - are you stupid ???
[22:03]
} Allahu Akbar (EVT) : ban me
[22:03]
[DS] P V L (EVT) : allahuekber you said

So, you were friendly asked to change your in game nick to a non religious one, then had the offer to use Allahuekber as you told

us its your real name. But you decided to go back to Allahu Akbar even you were aware of the risk.

I hope this explains better how this happened, have a nice time. P V L

@P V L, can you show us a some print screen of the chat, copy and paste would not give 100% proof. To get this right on the both position I ask you to upload a screenshot of the chat.

Just enter our discord and read live-chat from last night if you really are interested.


https://discord.gg/w6fCCtrUBk

Quote from P V L :

Just enter our discord and read live-chat from last night if you really are...

You banned me just because my name is Allahu Akbar and you are still trying to justify yourself. I'm closing the issue because I don't want to see you become more ridiculous, I won't even talk to you anymore.

I think all points have been made and I will now close this thread.

This is a game for entertainment and users should not use images or words with negative connotations for other users, even if the perception is different in different cultures.

The idea is we should all get along in Live for Speed, without culture battles. LFS is a place where people from around the world can get together.

Addressing the point of this thread, I would like to emphasise that the incident described was not a discrimination against Islamic culture. We have many Turkish and Islamic players who are very welcome.

All cultures are welcome in Live for Speed, along with their customs. This is part of the point of the game, the good it can do in the world. Let's all make sure we are not upsetting people in different cultures.

Thank you.