Friday, August 08, 2008

Freedom of the [Printing] Press


You Still Can't Write About Muhammad -Asra Q. Nomani

Last year Random House signed a $100,000, two-book deal with journalist Sherry Jones for The Jewel of Medina, a racy historical novel about Aisha, the young wife of the prophet Muhammad.

Jones learned Arabic, studied scholarly works about Aisha's life, and came to admire her protagonist as a woman of courage.

In May, Random House abruptly called off publication of the book, fearing it would [lead] to death threats, riots and the murder of the book's Japanese translator, among other horrors.
(Wall Street Journal)


UPDATE - the author speaks out:

Censoring "The Jewel Of Medina"
-Sherry Jones

Is Random House no longer publishing books about Islam? How does this bode for the future of publishing? What will be banned next? Art? Music? Theater? Dance?
[Newsweek-Washington Post]

2 comments:

LHwrites said...

And sadly, the publisher weas probably quite accurate in its concerns. To alien observers the world today would no doubt look more like a land amidst dark ages, than a 21st century of enlightenment.

Bruce said...

I feel badly for the author, about to be published by a major publishing house and then...nothing. Though she does have her life...though they may try to kill her anyway.

She'll probably find another publisher with more guts.