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Virtually Blind has an interesting announcement about a new Islamic simulator within Second Life which is bound to be controversial, to say the least. Al-Andalus Caliphate Government Sim Opens in Second Life; Judiciary to Be Based on Islamic Law covers the bases well (it is only an announcement) . The website related to the sim is Al-Andalus Caliphate Project, and the SLUrl is here: Al Andalus Alhambra (200,100,49).

Some have been quick to damn the project (want to bet who that was?), but I'm less of a reactionary - and I find it more interesting than a threat to anything else. And, as you can see in the picture - the simulator is quite nicely built. Is an Islamic Law sim really a threat to anyone? Probably as much as the Dell presence.

I am intrigued, too. There has been a lot of tension in the Middle East, and there have been some who say that an Islamic State is possible and could work. This would be an imperfect mockup within Second Life, but it is an interesting attempt and one which I will look into some more. As Benjamin Duranske noted, it is not the first sim to attempt a quasi-governmental system. Of course, the trouble is that in Second Life, people aren't stuck where they are. The people who like it will stay, the people who don't will leave. Geopolitical borders in the real world are not as flexible, and that creates a loophole in these simulations of governance.

Still, I think I'll check out how it works and then form an opinion. Right now I'm mainly curious as to how it would work... But what will be more interesting will be who reacts, and how.