The Guardian on Sherry Jones and her assertion that her book The Jewel of Medina about Muhammad and one of his brides, hasn't found a publisher/distributor in the UK because of their fear of being targeted by Islamists:
Jones has now revealed on her blog
that despite attempts to find a new UK distributor for The Jewel of
Medina, "everyone, it seems, is too afraid". "Although the extremists
lost in court, they have apparently won where it really counts – in the
UK's book stores," she wrote. "The 'thugs' have accomplished their task
— and freedom of speech, the first freedom to go when fascism gets a
foothold, has taken a blow in the western world."
She called on "the people of Great Britain" to "speak out against those who are limiting their right to read, think, speak, listen, debate, discuss, criticise". "I hope the people of the UK can find the power, and the courage, to raise an outcry against censorship," she said. "Now it's time for the rest of us, including moderate Muslims and the press, who cherish our culture and our freedom, to raise a cry louder than that of radicals, so we don't lose that most precious, and crucial, of freedoms."
British publishers, however, disputed her claim that they were too afraid to publish The Jewel of Medina. "I've read the reviews and it sounds absolutely awful – beyond being offensive. If it were good we would actively consider publishing it, but an anachronistic bodice ripper – why would we be interested?" said Jon Wood, Orion publishing director.
Another publisher, who didn't wish to be named, agreed, pointing to the less-than-positive reviews of The Jewel of Medina in America, where the New York Times described its prose as "lamentable", and the LA Times said that it "suffers from large swaths of purple prose".
She called on "the people of Great Britain" to "speak out against those who are limiting their right to read, think, speak, listen, debate, discuss, criticise". "I hope the people of the UK can find the power, and the courage, to raise an outcry against censorship," she said. "Now it's time for the rest of us, including moderate Muslims and the press, who cherish our culture and our freedom, to raise a cry louder than that of radicals, so we don't lose that most precious, and crucial, of freedoms."
British publishers, however, disputed her claim that they were too afraid to publish The Jewel of Medina. "I've read the reviews and it sounds absolutely awful – beyond being offensive. If it were good we would actively consider publishing it, but an anachronistic bodice ripper – why would we be interested?" said Jon Wood, Orion publishing director.
Another publisher, who didn't wish to be named, agreed, pointing to the less-than-positive reviews of The Jewel of Medina in America, where the New York Times described its prose as "lamentable", and the LA Times said that it "suffers from large swaths of purple prose".
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