sign that appears below MD when it starts/is loaded

[MoM]

I'm talking about this one : [attachment=3202:horrid sign.png]

it represents the Jews, and their's so-called Israel, no offense to it and them, but in my country, and all arab countries, they are not a state, they are a so-called one (we call it maz3ooma, as in they say it is, but they're bluffing) and as much as I would rather not contradict anyone about whether it is good or not (everyone has his opinions, and I don't have anything against Jews, it's those that did what they did in all those wars that I have a grudge against).

Back to my main point, almost all Arabic countries BLOCK all such content from us, (not just from internet, they rip out anything related to them on books, delete movie scenes, everything and anything), now I was showing my grandfather something online, and i opened MD, and he spotted the sign, suffice to say, he yelled at me for about 15 minutes for opening 'the enemies content'

my point : does MD really have anything to do with this? or is the fact that this sign popped up purely coincidental?
(even though I doubt this) if the first question answers no to the first part, is there anyway this can be removed?

now that I think about it, this might be why Egypt wasn't allowing me to connect to the MD... also, in all my time, and all my searching, I have failed to find ONE Arab player NOT from Lebanon also purely coincidental? I don't think so...

[Burns]

Hexagrams are not jewish. It originates in Hinduism, and has a variety of uses in 4 religions (Seal of Solomon for monotheists and meditative mandala named satkona yantra for Hindus) as well as in occultism, heraldry, astrology, and alchemy.

There are only so many symbols. Most appear in a variety of uses all over the world.

If you don't believe that, google 'Swastika'.

Edited September 20, 2011 by Burns

[Shemhazaj]

[quote]now that I think about it, this might be why Egypt wasn't allowing me to connect to the MD...[/quote]

[color=#808080][i]I honestly think it wasn't.[/i][/color]
[color=#808080][i]several other people (me included) visited Egypt and had no problems whatsoever to log in to MD.[/i][/color]
[i][color=#808080]you were the first and the only one so far to report such problem.[/color][/i]

[Brulant]

I would like to point out that the letters around the outside of the hexagram spell 'Adonai', which is Jewish for 'master' or 'my Lord' and is one of the many 'names' of God. So, although hexagrams are not strictly jewish, it is referencing (intentional or not) Judaism. People interpret symbols in a way that makes sense to their culture and their mind.

However, to answer your question, MD doesn't really have anything to do with it. I mean, look at Shem's signature. It's more of a cleverly buried reference to a 'God' that looks cool. There are a few other such references on the symbol that pull from multiple religions. The intent is to reference God, not the religion. If that makes sense...

Edited September 20, 2011 by Brulant

[Burns]

Please note that Adonai appears in the old testament, which is the basis for many religious groups.
Without offense to the jews, there are about 13 million of them, but there are 2.300 million christians who also believe in the old testament, so if at all, it's a reference to several religions, not just one.
That it's an Hebrew word doesn't make it a Jewish word, just because hebrew is mostly spoken by jews _today_.

PS: I'm neither religious, nor do i care for political correctness, but i kinda freak out when people call a star jewish and a cross christian. There are too many layers of history and meanings over almost all symbols to accept such 'simple solutions'.

Edited September 20, 2011 by Burns

[Chewett]

That one small symbol is NOT the reason MD is blocked, All of those similar arabic countries use a similar "combined" filter which blocks a lot of content out. Including many far right, obsene content. But for every bad website it blocks, it blocks a good one.

They block via ip, And not nesscarily by hostname. So for example if your website was hosted on the same server that a "bad" website was hosted in, They would both be blocked.

And as others have pointed out, Its a very general symbol, and mur has repeated many times MD tries to completely remove itself from religion and all the issues that causes.

[Brulant]

[quote name='Burns' timestamp='1316546372' post='92328']
That it's an Hebrew word doesn't make it a Jewish word, just because hebrew is mostly spoken by jews _today_.
[/quote]

Yes, Hebrew is a race, Judaism is a religion. You can be jewish without being Hebrew and vice versa. Thank you for correcting me Burns, I tend to sort of smear the words together because the Tanakh is written mainly in Hebrew.

My point was that if people see a hexagram and a Hebrew word for 'my Lord' their brain is probably going to jump to Judaism... especially if that's something important to their culture. It doesn't _have_ to, but it probably will. A universal symbol is not universally understood the same way.

Edit:

[quote name='Burns' timestamp='1316546372' post='92328']
PS: I'm neither religious, nor do i care for political correctness, but i kinda freak out when people call a star jewish and a cross christian. There are too many layers of history and meanings over almost all symbols to accept such 'simple solutions'.
[/quote]
Ditto.

Edited September 20, 2011 by Brulant

[Chewett]

symbols by their definition are perceived based on the sum total of your experience. i Saw said symbol and categorized it as a mathematical one, Attributed no paranormal, religious or cultural symbolism to it.

Edited September 20, 2011 by Chewett

[Brulant]

[quote name='Chewett' timestamp='1316551029' post='92333']
symbols by their definition are perceived based on the sum total of your experience. i Saw said symbol and categorized it as a mathematical one, Attributed no paranormal, religious or cultural symbolism to it.
[/quote]

And that's exactly my point! Thank you, Chew, that was very well said. Personally, I think nothing of the symbols because I've only ever seen them once or twice when my internet connection was behaving badly. I never had time to look at them properly.

I was just trying to explain why MoM and his grandfather saw the symbol in such a way.

Edited September 20, 2011 by Brulant

[Kaya]

I can assure you with 100% certainty that the symbol does not in any way refer to modern day Israel. If you ever get into trouble about it tell them it's a reference to Solomon (Sulaiman) one of the prophets of God (Allah). Therefore it's not an Israeli symbol, but it is a Jewish, Christian and Islamic symbol.
Also if I understood things right the entire symbol is a symbol for the Islamic version of Solomon (yes there are differences), but I'm not completely certain about that.

[Muratus del Mur]

none of the symbols used in md are used because of any of their cultural or religious meanings (in the sense _you_ understand "religious"). Symbols have value, that value was (ab)used over time. Religions or any culture in general didnt invent a symbol to suit their needs but united the meaning of a symbol with their ideology. Only later people saw things like a six pointed star as jewish and a cross as christian.

The named symbol is however taken from a context, context that has nothing to do with MD but i picked it for its SYMBOLIC MEANING not for its cultural meaning. At that time it seemed appropriate, but i do intend to clean it up and make an original representation, to avoid unwanted connections.

Symbols are symbols. How they are used depend on people, like weapons you know. The symbols i use, or accept to be used, in md, are there for their symbolic meaning and never ever for their cultural meaning in any way. Its true that sometimes i avoid using certain symbols because people will stop understanding and will simply freak out. On the anniversary aramor i wanted to put the swastika, not for its cultural/historic meaning but for its "clean" meaning as symbol related to the sun. Just imagine..just imagine...
I used an other, more obscure symbol pointing at the same thing, its just less tainted so to say. Sadly one symbol i cant really replace, and thats the christian cross, so, when you will see things you think they have a religious meaning, remember what i said.

[Azull]

[quote name='Muratus del Mur' timestamp='1316562753' post='92337']
The named symbol is however taken from a context, context that has nothing to do with MD but i picked it for its SYMBOLIC MEANING not for its cultural meaning. At that time it seemed appropriate, but i do intend to clean it up and make an original representation, to avoid unwanted connections.
[/quote]

I wanted to ask you about this symbol for some time, but wanted to do so in game.
However, since we're talking about it now, here's my question.
What is the purpose of this seal? Or maybe better. For what purpose did you put it there?
(I'm refering to the entire thing, not just the hexagram)

Edited September 21, 2011 by Azull

[Jubaris]

6 pointed star can be seen as a symbol of balance and harmony, but who knows what it meant when it was made.

Its origin is unknown. (I have no idea how did Burns pull out that the David's star originated in Hinduism)

Symbols get "abused", and the original meaning usually fades away, there are only assumptions. Some symbols get violated so much that even when their previous meaning is known, it isn't used anymore (like the Swastika, as far as I remember Swastika symbols were removed from some Buddhist temples), sadly.

[MoM]

[quote name='Muratus del Mur' timestamp='1316562753' post='92337']
i do intend to clean it up and make an original representation, to avoid unwanted connections.
[/quote]

that's all I wanted to hear, and as for the rest, a symbol is a symbol, you're right, but to have lost friends and family members to Israelite bombing, and to be forced to pick yourself up and go from place to place just because there is a probability that it would be bombed... it kinda makes me dread that symbol more than anything. I hate them, no offense meant or anything, but they took away those I lose, they took away those that loved me, they took away those who shared laughs with me, those who at one point made me happy when I was sad, and for what? to expand? well I just hope they'd expand into the sea and disappear...

Also, I'd like to mention a day Lebanon would remember : the day when a children's cancer center was bombed by Israel, those children who had hopes of surviving despite their illness, those that had faith, were killed. What's more, on the bomb, there were pictures drawn by children, Israel's children (real children) showing how Israel is better than us, showing how they would be kings and we they're slaves, it was a message from the young to the young, believe me if you want, don't if you don't, but I know what happened, and I'll be sticking to my opinions.

[Muratus del Mur]

This sikness of humanity to blame symbols for their actions is something i have no intention of dragging into MD virtual world. Avoiding the use of certain symbols because certain people understand them wrong, means perpetuating this sikness and further hiding and tainting the true meaning of things. As i hope you do realise by now, md has nothing to do with jews, arabs, nazis, christians, you name them, so that symbol in THIS context has nothing to do with any bombing or personal grudges whatsoever. You might find it disrespectful, and it would be, if it was outside MD borders, but its not. I respect symbols, its the only way to understand their meaning without freaking out and getting confused of fake meanings. Otherwise people think the pentagram is the sign of the devil, and such stupid things.

I have no intention of 'educating' anyone regarding symbols, but dont consider it disrespectful that i dont bow to their ignorance and perpetuate it. Should jewish people freak out same out that the symbol on my book is basically the same in nature with the half moon? Want to hear a symbolic offence? check this out: [img]http://www.goroadachi.com/etemenanki/eg5-raelian-swastika.jpg[/img]

yet , taken outside any cultural context, it has an other (strange) meaning.

there is a difference between being blind and chosing to close your eyes. If you truly hate something, whatever it is, learn about it better that that thing knows about itself first. Maybe like that you will realise how pointless most grudges are.