Jewel Published

The Jewel of Medina is being published in the US, despite Random House, the original publisher, backing out after being warned of possible violence from outraged Muslims:

A novel about the Prophet Muhammad's child bride has been published in the US ahead of schedule after the office of the British publisher was attacked.

Beaufort Books is publishing The Jewel of Medina by Sherry Jones in the US after Random House dropped it amid fears it could incite violence....

Beaufort Books said it was publishing the novel ahead of schedule so it could be assessed on its merits as literature rather than the potential offence it could cause to Muslims.

Beaufort's president, Eric Kampmann, said: "We felt that... it was better for everybody... to let the conversation switch from a conversation about terrorists and fearful publishers to a conversation about the merits of the book itself."

It was Denise Spellberg, Professor of History and Middle Eastern Studies, who gave Random House the warning:

Prof Spellberg wrote in the Wall Street Journal: "I used my scholarly expertise to assess the novel. It was in that same professional capacity that I felt it my duty to warn the press of the novel's potential to provoke anger among some Muslims.

"There is a long history of anti-Islamic polemic that uses sex and violence to attack the Prophet and his faith. This novel follows in that oft-trodden path, one first pioneered in medieval Christian writings."

That first paragraph is, I suppose, reasonable. The second is outrageous. It's deliberately playing on the aggrieved feelings of Muslims, stoking up the rhetoric, and - by all accounts - completely misrepresenting the book and the intentions of the author.

We'll have to wait and see whether it'll be published here, after the Gibson Square attack.

Comments

[Dom]

"...to attack the Prophet ..."

I wish people would stop saying "the Prophet" like that. Would she say "the Lord" if she were referring to a historical account of Jesus?

[DrD]

Mohammed, according Islamic tradition copulated with a nine year old girl. He didn't violate her by our terms but had a sexual liason that was by all accounts loving if you believe any of it actually took place. Moslems take his behaviour as exemplary for all time so will always countenance the sexual abuse( as we see it ) of children.Khomeini understands this. What's your problem Kuffir?