Associated Press – September 3, 2008
SPOKANE, Washington – A historical novel about the prophet Muhammad and his child bride that was pulled by Random House over concerns it would anger Muslims has found a new English-language publisher.
Gibson Square will publish the book next month in Great Britain, saying Wednesday that it is imperative that “The Jewel of Medina” by author Sherry Jones, of Spokane, not be spiked by fear of violence. Jones told The Associated Press that a U.S. publisher would also be announced shortly.
Her historical novel is about Aisha, the third wife of the prophet Muhammad.
“I was completely bowled over by the novel and the moving love story it portrays,” Gibson Square publisher Martin Rynja said in a news release.
“‘The Jewel of Medina’ has become an important barometer of our time. The love story is somewhat known in the Muslim world but entirely unknown to Western readers,” Rynja said.
The novel was originally to be published by Random House in August, and was to be a Book of the Month Club selection.
But Random House, which paid Jones $100,000 for “The Jewel of Medina” and a second book, dropped the novel after concerns were raised by non-Muslims that the contents were explosive. Random House said in August that “credible and unrelated sources” had warned that the book “could incite acts of violence by a small, radical segment.”
Since then, Jones and her agent, Natasha Kern, had been looking for publishers.
“It was crucially important that the publisher would have industry-leading distribution in Britain, which Gibson Square has,” Kern said. “And it was also important that it had an excellent track record on handling books in a good way that were provocative and had achieved some degree of controversy beyond the publishing community.”
Gibson Square has published assassinated Russian agent Alexander Litvinenko’s
“Blowing up Russia,” and “Londonistan,” a book by Melanie Phillips on Britain’s refusal to stem homegrown fanaticism.
The book will also be published in Germany, Italy, Spain, Brazil and Hungary, Jones said. In August, Serbian publisher BeoBook released “The Jewel of Medina” but then quickly withdrew it from stores after protests from local Islamic leaders who said it insulted Muhammad and his family.
Following the Random House decision, Salman Rushdie, whose “The Satanic Verses” led to a death decree in 1989 from Iran’s Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini that forced the author to live under police protection for years, said the publisher had allowed itself to be intimidated.
“I am very disappointed to hear that my publishers, Random House, have canceled another author’s novel, apparently because of their concerns about possible Islamic reprisals,” Rushdie said in an e-mail sent last month to the AP. “This is censorship by fear, and it sets a very bad precedent indeed.”
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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posted September 3, 2008 at 7:21 pm
I think it’s a shame that a large house like Ramdom House would be pushed by fear of reprisal from religious extremists. America has always put freedom of the press before any threats, what has happened? People are feeling fear I think because of s wishy washy leadership of our country. Time for getting American and American attitudes back! Vote Obam and Biden.
posted September 3, 2008 at 7:24 pm
Sorry for all the typos, in a hurry, but you get the idea.
posted September 3, 2008 at 8:55 pm
So now a publisher in the USA is afraid to publish a book? Just from what I’ve read in this article, I think I’ll buy it when the new publisher in this country does have the nerve to publish it here. According to the English publisher, it is a love story.
What a shame Random house backed out.
posted September 3, 2008 at 11:01 pm
“People are feeling fear I think because of s wishy washy leadership of our country.”
Wait—basically, you’re saying that…George W. Bush isn’t being tough ENOUGH on Muslim extremism?
…Okay then. God bless.
posted September 4, 2008 at 10:02 am
Funny, you don’t see publishers and movie producers back out of producing books and films that blast Christianity, or anything else for that matter. I’ll be interested to see how far this type of thing goes. It has become a trend in the west, starting in western Europe, to cave to a Moslem minority on these issues.
posted September 4, 2008 at 10:54 am
Joey,
Somehow, I don’t see the Sacrecro-W getting all huffy about a book – unless it came with a gallon of oil, too. Tinman-C won’t care even a bit.
I think it is time for slam to realize that if they want to truly become a world power, and not simply hold a few scattered centers, they have to let go of somethings. One of them will be people’s interest in the stories of Mohammed. At the same time, they will have to develop a broader perspective and sense of humor about life. Otherwise they will expend all their energy on small causes that will not matter to most people. As an example, it will be great when this book gets published. But how will people repsond if there is another decree made against the author and publisher. It will look poorly for the Moslem factions and mean nothing to most anyone else.
I appreciate respect for scripture and the holiness of texts. However, this is something outside the story that helps people appreciate who Mohammed was and how he experienced the fullness of love. It is no different from the many stories about Biblical figures retold by contemporary authors (far to many to list, though I do like Orson Scott Card’s books, as well as Robert heinlein on Job and Joseph Heller on David)
posted September 4, 2008 at 1:14 pm
Funny, you don’t see publishers and movie producers back out of producing books and films that blast Christianity,
Funny that I haven’t read about too many of those…
Can you name some?
posted September 8, 2008 at 8:48 pm
I just wonder also how these cowardice companies can put out stuff that lampoons Christ and yet knee knocking shake in their boots to publishing something about Mohammad. Hamlet 2 is something they were not afraid to disrespect Jesus in but the heartless creeps wouldn’t have the courage to say half of those things about Mohammad. It’s laughable, laughable cowards.