Mr. Selbourne, welcome to my world. From the Telegraph, with thanks to Twostellas:
A distinguished writer and academic has accused leading publishers of turning down his latest book because it is too critical of Islam.
David Selbourne, who has written more than a dozen books, and his literary agent suspect that publishers are shunning The Losing Battle With Islam because it could provoke anger from Islamic extremists and other critics.
Among the subjects covered in the book is the “negative impact” of actions by Muslims in recent decades. It suggests that Islam is not a religion of peace, balance and compassion, as many of its adherents claim.
The book also discusses the fatwa that was issued against Salman Rushdie, the novelist, by the Ayatollah Khomeini, after the publication of The Satanic Verses. Mr Selbourne writes of the “cruel bounty repeatedly offered for his [Mr Rushie’s] head”.
Six publishers, including Penguin, HarperCollins and Heinemann, have turned down the book in the past five months.
Mr Selbourne, who is British but lives in Italy, said that he believed that the reason for the repeated rejection was clear.
“The reaction of the publishers is unprecedented. The subject is very contentious. I think there are some people who have fixed views which don’t permit them to look at the matter dispassionately.
“It is controversial because it is a record – written without fear or favour – of what has actually happened during the Islamic revival. My book has been turned down because there is hesitation about looking at these matters squarely in the face, especially in Britain.”
In the past, Mr Selbourne, whose previous publishers have included MacMillan, Cape, Penguin and Little, Brown, has had little difficulty getting his work into print.