If you were hoping for a copy of The Jewel of Medina in Serbian, you’re shit out of luck. Publisher BeoBook pulled the Serbian translation of The Jewel of Medina from bookstore shelves after The Islamic Community in Serbia protested the book’s publication.
Author Sherry Jones published her response in the Serbian daily newspaper Blic today, saying that she wrote the novel “to honor Islam… to celebrate these great historical figures while dispelling misunderstandings about Islam.”
After the discussions here and elsewhere, I personally have come to understand the depth of meaning inherent in any humanization or fictional portrayal of Mohammed, and why that is profoundly offensive and upsetting to Muslim individuals. I get it. I truly do, and I don’t relish anyone feeling that way.
But what protests are we talking about here? The Islamic Community in Serbia protested the book… by doing what? There’s no mention that I can find of the specific actions that were undertaken in protest. And the lack of mention makes me think that shit was not literally on fire. Not a day goes by that I don’t see the 12 foot giant inflatable rat outside some building where a union is protesting work treatment in Manhattan. Protests run the gamut from marching to yelling to rallies to giant inflatable rat (one of the rats has festering nipples. I still haven’t figured that one out) to setting shit on fire, tossing bricks and overturning cars with a backhoe. Since none of the latter were mentioned, is it safe for me to presume that the protest was more of the former? Do they have inflatable rats in Serbia?
And what protest would cause a publisher to remove a book from the shelves? This is getting ridiculous, because the more this book is removed and canceled and blocked from the reading public, the more power it is given, not to mention the repeated underscoring of the “OMG Muslims are angry let’s panic” response. That response is denigrating to Muslims, to say the least, not to mention absolutely ludicrous.
I’m angry. I’m protesting. I want to read this damn book already and draw my own grown up big-girl-panty-wearing conclusions. Do I need to bring the giant rat over to Random House tomorrow? Anyone know where I can borrow a truck?
ETA: Thanks to Rebecca for the link.
You cannot legally order a copy of Mein Kampf in Germany. Even people who need a copy for academic purposes have to resort to buying 60+ years old copies in used book stores (and they usually sell them under the counter) or order from a dodgy foreign, possibly Neo-Nazi affiliated websites (reputable booksellers like Amazon won’t ship Mein Kampf and other Nazi-related materials to Germany).
It is pretty self-evident why it is in the public interest to keep Mein Kampf out of general circulation in Germany. However, the rights holders (the state of Bavaria) have even been blocking annotated academic editions, which is actually counterproductive, because it hinders research.
Plus, since Mein Kampf has been kept out of print in Germany via copyright law, there will be a big problem once the book falls into the public domain in 2015.
I should have clarified. You can buy Mein Kampf in the states. And no under the counter necessary at *most* book stores.
If it becomes unavailable after 2015, then it becomes unavailable. That’s different than being banned. And there will still be copies available for purchase through private owner or used book stores. Sad, IMO, but true nonetheless.
I think it’s ridiculous the way govts and officials get bullied. I think the people in management are sissies and everybody wants to be politically correct. I dont want to offend this person, that person, that animal, this insect,….
Might as well sit at home