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:
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.
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.
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