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Publishers ok book on Mohammed's child wife

Published 22.08.08   16:57 

Denmark is again ready to exercise its free speech and press principles by releasing a controversial novel about Mohammed's child wife An American novel about the 6-year-old wife of Mohammed, Aisha, may end up being released in Denmark, after publishing...

An American novel about the 6-year-old wife of Mohammed, Aisha, may end up being released in Denmark, after publishing company Random House dropped its plans to print the book.

Danish publishers association Trykkeselskabet has given its blessing to Sherry Jones' novel 'The Jewel of Medina' to be released in Denmark. Random House pulled out of its contract to publish the book after fear of reprisals from Muslims, and Jones' agent is looking for buyers.

The novel was brought into the spotlight in the US after Denise Spellman, a professor of Islamic history at the University of Texas, was quoted in the Wall Street Journal as saying the book was 'much more controversial than the Mohammed drawings from Denmark'. She called any decision to publish the book a 'declaration of war' against Muslims.

But Trykkeselskabet indicated that it felt the book needed to be published.

'Fear or threats should not keep a book from being published,' association spokeswoman Helle Merete Brix told Nyhedsavisen newspaper. 'It would be principally and entirely a renewal of all that Denmark has already been through with the Mohammed cartoon affair.'

The book is a fictitious account of Mohammed's revelations told through Aisha's eyes. Mohammed had 13 wives in all - Aisha being the youngest and, according to many sources, his favourite.

But Spellman called the novel 'soft-core pornography' and that it 'takes advantage of people's ignorance' of Islam.

Jones' agent, Natasha Kern, wrote to Trykkeselskabet to congratulate them on their decision to approve the book's publication in Denmark.

'When you consider what's happened in your country, I admire your readiness to ensure that freedom of expression is not obstructed.'

The Islamic Faith Society in Copenhagen had, as of Friday morning, not taken an official position on the book's publication.

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The Copenhagen Post