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Sony bans PS4 user Jihad Khalid Almofadda due to his user name

Sony quickly backpedaled on its hair-trigger reaction to the online handle, but at the cost of some functionality.

David Craddock

June 27, 2016 1:00 PM

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Sony banned a PS4 user due to his online handle, iJihad. Jihad is a term that can be used to refer to a holy war against those who do not believe in Allah. This case is considerably more innocuous, however: it's the user's first name.

According to a report on GameSpot, Jihad Khalid Almofadda received an email from Sony informing him that he had been banned from PSN because of his 'iJihad' user name. Almofadda posted a video on Twitter as proof that he had been locked out of all digital services and games, even offline.

In the same email, Sony offered Almofadda the option to change his username—an option users have wanted for years. He sent a list of new names; Sony reviewed them and revoked its offer, informing him that his ban was permanent.

Almofadda's took off on social media after he posted an account on Reddit, and a number of outlets dug around to help him build a case for restitution. Game Informer discovered that over 9800 users have a PSN account that include the word 'Jihad' in their handles.

PlayStation UK came around and reinstated his account under a new user name. Unfortunately, Sony made other changes that are bound to disrupt Almofadda's enjoyment of his console. "I was offered to change the PSN ID, but that has it costs, he wrote on Reddit (under his username 'iJihad'). "My Trophies will have syncing problems and could disappear, Friends are gone, and social communication is deleted! There's no other way to it. The other interesting thing, he made the change from iJihad to Jiii--in just 2 seconds over the phone call! It's not rocket science, but it needs much technical improvements (Noting my trophies are ZERO now after syncing)."

David Craddock

Long Reads Editor

David L. Craddock writes fiction, nonfiction, and grocery lists. He is the author of the Stay Awhile and Listen series, and the Gairden Chronicles series of fantasy novels for young adults. Outside of writing, he enjoys playing Mario, Zelda, and Dark Souls games, and will be happy to discuss at length the myriad reasons why Dark Souls 2 is the best in the series. Follow him online at davidlcraddock.com and @davidlcraddock.