The Pokemon Go game is currently booming among young people. Not a few people who have a pokemon fever and are willing to blusukan in search of Pokemon. However, this game made by Nintendo, Pokemon Corps, and Niantic Labs can't be separated from oblique issues.

Recently, there have been many links circulating on social media stating that the game contains an invitation that cannot be tolerated by Islam. It is widely circulated on social media that Pokemon actually in Syriac or Syriac means "I am Jewish", while Pikachu is said to mean "Be Jewish", and Charmander means "God is Weak".

The rumor has certainly become a heated debate on social media. Many believed and shared the rumor, many thought it was just something that was linked.

So is that really the issue? The Los Angels Times in an article dated April 24, 2001 once reviewed this. In the LA Times, it was stated that at that time in Middle Eastern countries such as Oman, Qatar, Dubai, Jordan, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia, rumors circulated that the Pokemon game had connotations that promoted anti-Islamic behavior and believed in Judaism. This of course causes anxiety.

The LA Times noted that despite Nintendo's denials, the leaders of those countries still couldn't accept Pokemon. The rumors arose amid concerns Arab countries would assimilate the emerging culture. Even so, many rumors were not proven at that time.

"It has been proven that this toy is part of a Jewish plot to corrupt the minds of our young generation because it offends blasphemous thoughts, mocks God and our moral values ​​so that it is very dangerous for our young generation," said Sheik Abdel Monem abu Zent, ​​former member Jordanian parliament.

Even so, in the LA Times article, he stated that there was no strong evidence that the Pokemon game did have connotations that were detrimental to Islam. Mohammed Abu Laila, a professor from Al Azhar University, said that until now there was no solid evidence that confirmed the rumors that made parents forbid their children to play the Pokemon game.

In a statement in Jordan's Amman newspaper, the Syriac Orthodox Christian Church denied allegations that Pokemon and other character names have roots in the ancient Syriac language and have insulting Islamic meanings. Church officials said they were surprised by the incoming letter stating that Pokemon contained a Jewish invitation. The article from the LA Times can be read at the following link.
In the pokemondb.net site, the meaning of the Pokemon names and the names of the monsters is mentioned. On the site it is stated that Pokemon is a combination of the word "Pocket Monster" which means pocket monster. This term expresses how small these monsters are to fit in a pocket.

Pikachu, which is one of the most famous monsters, is composed of the words Pika and Chu. Pika is the name for a small mouse, while Chu is a Japanese word which means to squeak. In the game, Pikachu is a monster that looks like a mouse. Meanwhile, Charmander consists of the words Char and Salamander. Char means to burn, and Salamander means amphibious lizard.