Pretty neat, really. Sometimes it's nice to see religion still in people's lives, regardless of where it is. Might be a little odd to have it on a game console, but devotion is devotion, and you got to respect that, even if you don't believe in the religion.

KUALA LUMPUR -- Muslim gamers worldwide will soon be able to mix praying with playing after the creation of a Koran that can be downloaded onto PlayStation portable consoles.

Student Ikhwan Nazri Mohamad Asran, 21, designed the software after seeing a similar version of the Bible.

"They did the Bible, so why not do the Koran ... This application can help younger people to read the Koran," Ikhwan said Tuesday.

PlayStation enthusiasts, more used to playing games such as Ridge Racer and Metal Gear Acid, can download an English-language version of the Koran, with displays in Arabic script, from the Internet.

Ikhwan said that the software should appeal to parents, who sometimes distrust the Internet and gaming.

"For some parents, when we talk about the Internet, all they see is porn, the bad things. When we talk about the PlayStation, all they see is gaming and spending too much time not studying," he said.

"A mother can say, 'Read the Koran first and then I'll let you play games.'"

The software follows the creation of The Raise, an English-language magazine on Islam, for the Sony console, and other content such as Islamic wallpaper.

"We focus on giving information on Islam and clearing misconceptions that non-Muslims have about Muslims," said Ikhwan.

Ikhwan, a student with Malaysia's Multimedia University south of Kuala Lumpur, is due to graduate this year with a degree in creative multimedia.

Aided by a team of 10 student volunteers, he started developing the Koran software between classes in January.

It was launched earlier this month to a gathering of parents at a Muslim charity dinner who responded well, Ikhwan said, adding that he would later include Koranic recitations following requests.

The software will be available for download for free after May 19 from his Web site http://raise.flavert.com, he said.

"People have to download all the files, put it into their memory stick, and then they can read it. All the instructions are included," Ikhwan added.

Tribulation via metimes.com »