Reluctant as I am to admit it, there's a reason stereotypes exist. And when it comes to the image of a terrorist, of course, the majority of people out there are going to think Middle Eastern/arab/jihad/suicide bombers, etc. And yes, racial profiling aside, we all know why.

So now the Arabs have come out with a new way, in the form of a video game whose scenario is explained below, of indoctrinating their youth in a culture that breeds more violence and hatred aimed at the Israelis.

Case in point:

IMAGINE you’re a Palestinian teenager praying in a mosque when an Israeli settler walks in and starts shooting at rows of worshippers. What do you do?

This is one of the plots of “Under Siege,” a Syrian – made videogame produced by Afkar Media. “Under Siege” a sequel to “Under Ash” is just one of the new videogames targeting Arabs and Muslims and stirring controversy in the West.

In the past half a decade a number of videogames has emerged for Muslim children, all sharing a similar goal: to subvert the typical gaming stereotype of Arabs as bad guys by replacing the typical American or European action hero with a recognizably Muslim hero.

Killing Israeli soldiers, trying to stop the demolition of houses in Gaza, pelting Israeli troops, throwing stones at them with a slingshot in an attempt to get an ambulance held by Israelis are just some of the videogame plots.

The author of "Under Seige," Radwan Kasmiya feels that the game serves a crucial purpose, “[It] gives young Muslims and Arabs a chance to see themselves in the role of good guys, which will help bolster self-esteem."

Mohammed Al-Naser, a Saudi father feels, “Just as they have games with Arabs and Muslims as the target we have games where Israelis are the target. Why is it politically correct for the West to have Arabs as the baddies in their games while it is politically incorrect to kill Israeli soldiers in the occupied territories in our games?”

Still, a lingering question persists: Since when do 10-year-old boys who blow up temples to serve some higher purpose need "self-esteem" or better yet, a game whose reward is, the obliteration of "the other"?