Because in the Left’s fantasy world, Muslims are not and can never be villains; they are always and in every case victims of hateful, “Islamophobic” Western Christians. Step out of line, even if you’re a trendy, black, gay “sensitivity reader,” and the mob will get you. Even the New York Times is shocked in this case, and laments of Kosoko Jackson’s withdrawn book that “it should have failed or succeeded in the marketplace of ideas. But it was never given the chance. The mob got to it first.”
That’s rich coming from the Times, which has all too often led the mob against ideas it deemed beyond the range of acceptable discourse, including honest analysis of how jihad terrorists use Islamic texts and teachings to justify violence and make recruits among peaceful Muslims.
“Teen Fiction and the Perils of Cancel Culture,” by Jennifer Senior, New York Times, March 8, 2019:
Late last month, a young man named Kosoko Jackson became the second young adult author in five weeks to pull a debut work just before it hit the shelves. His book, “A Place for Wolves,” ran afoul of the sensibilities of the Twitter gatekeeping class, which deemed it insensitive to Muslims and unduly focused on people of privilege.
There was an obvious irony to his story, a karmic boomerang: Jackson, who is black and gay, often worked as a “sensitivity reader” for major publishing houses, which meant his job was to flag just the sort of problem content for which he was now being run out of town. He was Robespierre with his own neck in the cradle of the guillotine. One of the captains of “cancel culture” — which urges people to shun the insensitive, the oppressive, the morally questionable — got canceled himself….
Did he always get it right? His bibliography is notably short, featuring books published by obscure presses. (Would it have been too much trouble for him to read the work of Tim Judah or David Rieff?) But strict historical fidelity has never been required of any art form. What raised people’s hackles was that an Albanian Muslim is one of the book’s villains, when it was the Albanian Muslims who suffered disproportionately during the Kosovo war. That, and the idea that two comparatively privileged American teenagers could be the focus of the book….
It should have failed or succeeded in the marketplace of ideas. But it was never given the chance. The mob got to it first.
Trish says
How freaking ridiculous!! I guess you’ll have to change the bad guy to a white guy since ALL WHITES ARE HORRENDOUS, according to the people who truly ARE HORRENDOUS!
Elizabeth Baklaich says
His book should be published as should all the others.
Did parents stop reading Sleeping Beauty to their kids? Or maybe it is just that everyone missed the point that hiding something evil (real or imagined) only leads to the person who finds it not understanding the true hazzardous nature and being left vulnerable to the threat.
This is why statues should not be torn down and books should not be banned. We are headed in a very dangerous direction.
“…whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.”
He is in an amazing position now to be a voice for protecting true Freedom of Speech; I hope he finds and uses that voice.
Anjuli Pandavar says
At this point, I don’t care whether it’s a brilliant novel or complete rubbish. I want to but it. I think that would be an appropriate reaction.
gravenimage says
Agreed. I am no particular fan of Salman Rushie’s work, but I bought the Satanic Verses right after the Fatwa came out.
We all need to support freedom of speech.
K WAGNER says
Muslims, pervert pedophile loving and worshipping skumbags, fgm’g, goat Fu(king, iran loving, sharia believing anti-Semetic good-for-nothing’s who only want/take/steal/rape and kill
They are no good anywhere except where they are from and need to remain there till they expire
Max says
Mob outrage over its featuring a Muslim villain
This could be easily fixed. Replace the Muslim villain with a Christian and CNN, CBS and ABC will enthusiastically promote the book.
DHazard says
The left is sinking lower and lower. They have imaginary red lines everywhere and if you cross one of them, even if it was unintentional, you may fall victim to their favorite strategy; Career Devastation.
Terry Gain says
9/11 made Muslims the most privileged people in America. I have underestimated the persuasive value of terrorism.
gravenimage says
Grimly true, Terry.
Niemoller says
Who exactly (names) criticized it on Twitter? Who exactly pulled the book? The author or the publisher? How much Twitter negativity is needed to pull a book?
It seems to be the author who pulled his own book. The mob censors are bad, but he should grow a bit more spine also.
BTW, writing a book set in Kosovo just because your name, Kosoko, is similar, is never a good start.
Ross Lloyd says
I won’t be pulling any of my anti-Islamist tales as contained in the Trilogy edition:
https://www.amazon.com/As-Darkness-Descends-Ross-Lloyd/dp/1522733337/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1552052435&sr=1-1-catcorr
gravenimage says
I’ll check your work out, Ross. Thanks for the link.
Georg says
The left bumping into the unlivable conditions they create for us and themselves… What a pathetic bunch. You see Pelosi and Obama experiencing the chaos they’ve cultivated so stupidly and hatefully.
gravenimage says
Novelist pulls book before publication after Twitter mob outrage over its featuring a Muslim villain
………………………
That Kosoko Jackson had often served as the “thought police” himself makes this all the more ironic.
But I am not cheering–this whole story is appalling from beginning to end.
somehistory says
Looks like the chickens are coming home to roost for this guy. Perhaps now he knows a little of what those he *ruled* against feel/felt.
Things are only going to get worse. The House ruling will add fuel to the flames for the burning of freedoms.
Many here likely recall when the first forays were happening in the U.K. and other EU countries. Little by little. One of the first I recall is of the lady in the U.K. who had little pig ornaments in her window and a moslim complained about them. And just look at that country now….police go after anyone saying anything that is truthful about islam and Mr. Robinson has been imprisoned; little old ladies arrested for speaking in public where moslims gather to ‘prey’ and spew, etc.
Now, moslims in the U.S. have gotten into positions of power and the House has ruled that telling the truth about them is “hate” that will not be allowed. This book, and others…
It won’t be much longer until the average person is being arrested for speaking the truth about islam in the U.S.
(Revelation 13)
Indiana Tom says
Albanian Muslim Doctor Evil?
Indiana Tom says
Speaking of novels with Muslim bad guys…
https://www.amazon.com/Soft-Targets-Dean-Ing/dp/1522684182
Hakim Arif, leader of Fat’ah, a militant Islamic terrorist organization, knows how vulnerable the United States really is. And he intends to demonstrate that to the world. Fat’ah will bring war on innocents home to the American heartland, in a way no one will ever forget.
Surprised they did not ban this book as it was written in 1980 and was very prophetic.
Indiana Tom says
This really was a great read and Dean Ing was decades ahead of his time. Recommended.
CRUSADER says
Oooh! I’m going to read THAT!
Right after this one:
“Lights Out: A Cyberattack, A Nation Unprepared, Surviving the Aftermath”
Book of Warning
by Ted Koppel
CRUSADER says
Check this book out:
“Sinner in Mecca: A Gay Muslim’s Hajj of Defiance”
by Parvez Sharma
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
tgusa says
What in the world was this fellow thinking? Get back on the democrat plantation and shut your mouth son. Jews are first, blacks will be sacrificed next. Eventually democrats will say that black slavery in muslim dominated countries in Africa is a cultural issue that they have to turn a blind eye to or openly support. Multiculturalists, they are. Black slavery will eventually return to democrat run areas of America but this time on the down-low at first. Some White American females may get sucked in to that through ignorance but the majority of white American males will not comply and that is why they hate us so.
tim gallagher says
This world we live in these days often seems insane to me. Any type of person (white, black, Christian, atheist, Muslim) can be evil and should be able to be portrayed as the villain in a work of fiction. But Robert Spencer’s first sentence sums up how freaking insane the leftist point of view is. Muslims can never be evil in the leftist fantasy world. MUslim terrorists endlessly killing innocent people, Muslim rape gangs such as those in the UK, Sweden, Muslim honour killings, Muslim paedophiles marrying underaged girls. Muslims commit endless evil acts and yet they are never to be allowed to be portrayed as villains. They are the victims of discrimination. What the hell is going on!!! The world has truly gone nuts. But it is also this malignant influence that Twitter’s idiots( the gatekeepers as the article describes them) have now. The thought that they could influence what is published in a novel beggars belief. I mean, theoretically, those clowns could stop a brilliant work of literature being published. It’s such a strange and often very repressive world we live in. Freedom of expression definitely seems to be in big trouble when the Twitter bullies have such influence.
Oren Wysocki says
Remember, according to the left and the muslims you as A Jew or A white gentile, A Christian, or a right winger have no rights before the law when your interreacting with muslims. Because if A muslim does something wrong to you or your people, you are not allowed to identify A muslim as a bad person, therefore creating A circumstance where muslims can attack you and violate your rights and you are not allowed to defend yourself or allowed to speak out against A muslim or his people, religion or identity whatsoever.
The left and the muslims aren’t thinking to themselves ‘insensitive to Muslims and unduly focused on people of privilege’, they are thinking you better not say nothing bad about muslims whatsoever or we are going to kill you. The left and the muslims believe that we have no right to exist. Just like all the times they tried to exterminate the Jews and failed.
The fact that this book was written by a gay black man should show you that you as A white person or Jew will have zero rights before the law with these people in charge.
Like heck the Christians of Kosovo were the aggressors and the Albanian muslims were the victims. As much garbage as pretending that Jewish kids in Israel are going around beating up young muslim men. In G-d I trust.
Mr. Maxwell S. J. Fenton says
Muhammadans are utterly immoral because they know exactly how immoral they are and attempt to insist they’re godly, virtuous victims.
They love our countries and way of life, they flock in their millions to eat from us, they bathe in our fruits, they are the most covetous and envious comunity in the West, they imagine and dream they can enslave us and continue to fill their vacuous souls with our endeavours and industry.
They’ll wake up soon enough, we are about to pull back the curtains and let the light of truth bring them into the reality of existence.
Muhammad in the literature committed every conceivable crime known, they’ll be a renaissance in the culture when we begin freely exposing him.
Islam remains the last ideology to be obliterated and exposed throughout, religiously, ethically, politically and aesthetically, its time has come and the time is now.
Jean (old) says
Where have all the authors gone?
Long time passing…
Where have all the authors gone,
long time ago.
Where have all the authors gone,
PC took them every one,
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn.
gravenimage says
+1
fredoniahead says
A so-called “Twitter mob” would have only made me double down.
I am amazed the way people kowtow to PC morons. Twitter?. Seriously?. It’s polluted with Far-Left pukes.
Publish it for spite after that. No, personally, I would not give a shit about fatwas and keyboard jihadis. That’s an excuse to be a PC pussy and capitulate. The Left wins again due to invertebrate behavior from those they target.
J D.S says
I don’t know about other sane people but I sure am sick if Muslims saying they are “offended” and whatever the case may be a bunch if idiots jump in and whatever it is that is “”offending”” them is pulled. OUT OR OFF or whatever it takes to remove the offensive thing (to them) so that we who aren’t offended and “”WE” are generally a multitudes. So in this situation WHO are the offended and are all Muslims offended or is it just the rabble whose JOB it is to start the process. Am I a racist or an islamophobic (a Muslim Brotherhood word) just because I want to be able to receive whatever it is that supposedly offends some muslims???
We have become a sick world and there don’t seem to be a cure.