This is the same book that Random House recently withdrew. Ironically, this process has gotten the book much more exposure -- in the U.S. and abroad -- than it likely ever would have garnered if not for Random House's fear of outrage. Unfortunately, the company's move also set a precedent that has clearly emboldened Muslim leaders in Serbia to make further demands, raising the stakes by comparing the book's perceived offenses to Cartoon Rage.
"Serbia: Book withdrawn for being insult to Muslims," from Adnkronos International, August 18:
Belgrade, 18 August (AKI) - The Islamic Community in Serbia said on Monday it was not satisfied with the withdrawal of Sherry Jones’ novel, The Jewel of Medina, from the country's bookshops.
Referring to the book released by Belgrade publisher Beobuk three weeks ago, the organisation's leader Muamer Zukorlic said it was "offensive to Muslims" and demanded all of the published copies be handed in.
He also called for director Aleksandar Jasic to repent for what he had done.
After an initial complaint from the Islamic community, Jasic apologised saying the company "had no intention of insulting Muslims in Serbia" and announced the book would not be available in any bookstore in the country.
But Zukorlic said on Monday that this was not enough.
"Jasic needs to sincerely repent because of the incident he caused," Zukorlic said.
Zukorlic has already compared The Jewel of Medina with the Mohammed cartoon controversy in Denmark.
The Danish cartoons, deemed offensive to Islam, led to worldwide protests when they were first printed in September 2005.
"Obviously someone wishes to join the ranks of those who produced the cartoons in Denmark several years ago and it is an insult to all Muslims of the world, especially for us here in Serbia," said Mufti Zukorlic.
The book was due to have a world premier in Serbia, since its US publisher decided against selling the book fearing the reaction of radical Muslims.
Jasic explained that Macedonia, Croatia, Spain and France had also bought the rights for the book....
The book may be junk, but now, of course, its distribution must- coute que coute -- be defended. The head of the Muslim "community" in Serbia needs to be reminded that
1) his ancestors no doubt were Serbs who converted to Islam under Ottoman rule in order to avoid the harsh legal disablities of the dhimmi status
2) Serbia is an advanced Western state with the right of free speech as it is understood in the West, not under Islam.
3) Ottoman rule over Serbia ended more than a century ago.
4) There are now not one but two Muslim-dominated states in the immediate vicinity: Bosnia and now Kosovo (thanks, in both cases, to the brilliant statecraft of the Americans and their NATO allies). Perhaps the "leader of the Muslim community" in Serbia, one Muamer Muamer Zukorlic, who described the book about Aisha as "offensive to Muslims" and then further "demanded all of the published copies be handed in" would find himself happier in Bosnia, or in Kosovo. He should be encouraged to leave; he clearly does not respect the legal and political institutions of an advanced Western state, and he is unlikely to be able to accommodate himself, if he hasn't yet managed to do so, to the exercise of free speech that such states guarantee and protect.
They should probably shave the fronts of their heads, wear the zunar and tear down their churches, too. That's presuming they've already given their wives and children as sex slaves and paid the jizyah.
Or maybe just say the shahada and bow to Makkah.
This was just published about the book.
You must click and read the last sentence.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080818/lf_afp/usbookreligionislam
Wasn't this character supposed to live in Kosovo? They stole Kosovo from Serbia and now they still want more. I see this as a takeover attempt right inside Serbia.
They're trying to get the whole enchilada.
What happened to the Serbs? I never thought they'd knuckle under to this crap.
I think they need to march the moslems to the border.. no, not Kosovo, but Albania.
Muamer Zukorlic said it was "offensive to Muslims" and demanded all of the published copies be handed in
frankly i am offened by this muslim asses arrogance and he must not realize the the writer is a muslim to try and claim it was "offensive to Muslims if nothing else it proves that when muslims get political power they become very areagant
"What happened to the Serbs?"
Ask Bill Clinton.
I hope they will find general Mladic soon and give him a new job.
At first, I thought it was Serbia that had banned the book, and was struck by that wronged country grovelling before the Mohammedans. But reading further and finding out that it was the publisher, I have nothing but contempt for such a wuss.
The original authors should find a new publisher instead of Random House, as well as in the Balkans, and go ahead. In Serbia, that book should be as freely distributed like confetti. And as Hugh pointed out, not only Mian Zukorlic, but all Mohammedans who object to Serbia's not banning this book should pack up and go to Kosovo or Bosnia.
I understand that Jasic has more rights to the book than does Belgrade, but maybe it would have been nice in this case if the Serbian government could have overruled him and forced the book to stay on bookshelves. Then again, given that Serbia was until very recently Communist, maybe not.
This article shows how the US accusation of Serbian "ethnic cleansing" against Muslims was a big lie. The Muslim community in Serbia has absolute freedom unlike the Serbs who remain in Muslim controlled Kosovo.
Perhaps the Serbs should do a little cleansing. For every Serb refugee from Kosovo, they ought to hold a random Muslim in Serbia responsible.
Brave people speak about the truth:
http://www.newstatesman.com/europe/2008/08/pilger-kosovo-war-nato-serbs
Provo
You're right. But don't mention it out aloud - next, they will be bombing Serbia to make an Islamic state out of Serbia, so that all those remaining Mohammedans can take over, er, feel safe.
Hugh wrote:
The book may be junk, but now, of course, its distribution must- coute que coute -- be defended.
.........................
That's what I thought at first, too--that "The Jewel of Medina" was just a cheesy bodice-ripper set in exotic old Arabia. But it's worse than that--the book is an apologia for Islam and Mohammed.
Among other authors, Sherry Jones used Karen Armstrong as "historical reference"--this should give an idea of the over-all tone. "The Jewel of Medina" was to be followed by another tome, "Ali and A'isha". In the first book, A'isha is not six, or nine--she is eleven. Of course, most Infidels would still feel pretty queasy about this.
Yet, you are right, regardless. Here in the West, we have the right to publish repellant whitewashings of barbaric historical figures, as well as bad romance novels.
I hated to hear that Beobuk caved. I hope they do not apologise in addition.
Long live freedom of speech!
Repent?
The Muslims can't just walk away from confrontation. They must (in their prehistoric brain-stems) always be seen as stepping on the back of the neck of the "Transgressor".
This is something the stary-eyed Liberals cannot comprehend.
Liberals Like Ms Jones. But Jones wrote: "Given the respect with which I treat the Muslim prophet, however, I never expected to be killed because of it. I still don't."
Just you keep on believing that honey!
This demand for repentance demonstrates the boundless arrogance and absurd self righteousness of the Muslims and is a typical characteristic of the totalitarian mindset. Coerced public humiliation and contrition against one's own will and conscience was common in Stalinist Russia and Mao's China. This shaming of those who transgress and violate the sacrosanct is something Islam shares with the most monstrous political regimes the world has known, not to mention other 'religious' terror campaigns like the Inquisition. This Zukorlic is just another witch hunter.
Darcy: Sherry Jones deserves a few death threats, not for offending Muslims, but for celebrating and justifying the sexual abuse of children.
A terrible book.
The falsehood, the shallowness, the sloppy research by the author, the ignorance and the stupidity called 'romance', the 'scorpion sting' between the 9-year old Aisha and the 54-year old Muhammad, which Sherry Jones makes into an eleven year old...
No, I can't go there. Its all wrong.
Perhaps johndoe above is right and Sherry Jones deserves whatever she has coming for celebrating the sexual abuse of children. But I won't support a book that sloppy, that soapy, that shallow, not even in the name of free speech.
S#*t = s#*t. How does that help our cause?
sheik is right. From the excerpts I've read, the book seems to be nothing more than kiddy porn.
Yes, tragic indeed. The United States kills Christian Serbs to mollify mohammedan terrorist and what do we get? Planes flying into our buildings and book banning. We worry about Europeans liking us--Ha. Contempt would be more like it.
Quit Europe, quit NATO, G-8 and stop exposing our backside to our enemies.Leave them alone and the Serbs can run Serbia and let them have Bosnia too if they can take it.
Will there be an electronic edition on the internet?
"What happened to the Serbs?"
Ask Bill Clinton.
I hope they will find general Mladic soon and give him a new job.
Posted by: LazarOfSerbia
And while we're asking Bill, perhaps we should be asking the real architect of the war in Kosovo - George Soros. As one astute poster here (sorry, can't remember who) always says, "Follow the money" so I did. Here's what I found:
http://www.reason.com/news/show/29124.html
Soros is arguably the world's greatest private-sector nation builder. His charities, centered mostly in the former communist world, have disbursed nearly $5 billion during the last two decades, on initiatives ranging from keeping 35,000 top Russian scientists financially solvent during the 1990s, to founding a Central European University in Budapest, to providing fresh drinking water to besieged Sarajevo. His cosmopolitan organizations are openly opposed to most things authoritarian, including several of their host governments. "My foundations contributed to democratic regime change in Slovakia in 1998, Croatia in 1999, and Yugoslavia in 2000, mobilizing civil society to get rid of Vladimir Meciar, Franko Tudjman, and Slobodan Milosevic, respectively," he brags. Just before the book's publication, he could have added Georgia and Eduard Shevardnadze to that list.
and this:
http://www.aim.org/special-report/the-hidden-soros-agenda-drugs-money-the-media-and-political-power/
An excellent example of how he operates is Kosovo. As indicated earlier, it is relevant to note that, after the Soros-supported war on Kosovo, a province of Yugoslavia, a Soros fund announced in 2000 that it was investing $150 million -- with loan guarantees from the U.S. Overseas Private Investment Corporation -- in the Balkans. It was called the "Southeast Europe Equity Fund." By 2002, the OPIC-supported size of the investment had risen to $200 million and OPIC announced that Soros Investment Capital, Ltd. Fund Yugoslavia had acquired a controlling stake in Eksimbanka, a private commercial bank in Serbia, and had financed the start-up of Serbia Broadband Networks, the leading cable television and broadband services company in Serbia.
There is much more about Soros and Kosovo, look it up...it's a fascinating read. And why, you might ask, does he do this? Well, two things that I can figure...money and his cherished belief that drugs all over the world should be de-criminalized. Doubtless, that too involves money to be made by him. That's why he's supporting Obama over his longtime pal and cohort Hillary. Obama is the only candidate who supports the decriminalization of drugs.
Yawol mein commandant! These crazed Mohammetans must be from another planet, never having heard that we do not respond to commands like their sub-human co-religionists (it’s NOT a religion) in submission to their primitive evil Cult. We DO have freedom of speech, so publishing a book is a right, and reading a book is a right, which these loonies may or may not exercise. And if it is all “Allah’s will” where’s the beef? Go with it, let go, sing Mohammet's version of Kumbayah, and chill. You idiots!
"Given the respect with which I treat the Muslim prophet, however, I never expected to be killed because of it. I still don't."
If this is a written statement from Ms. Jones, she screwed up again. She didn't capitalize the "P" in "prophet".
I'm wondering... What resources did she find to inform her about Aisha, in the first place, other than the ahadith? I don't know if Aisha was mentioned in the Qur'an--probably not. Mohammed was too busy jerkin' his own gherkin, there.
It's not like Aisha had any official biographies. Is it?