Muslim's stop publication of book about the life of Muhammad's child bride

Muslim's stop publication of book about the life of Muhammad's child bride

online.wsj.com

You Still Can't Write
About Muhammad
By ASRA Q. NOMANI
August 6, 2008; Page A15

Starting in 2002, Spokane, Wash., journalist Sherry Jones toiled weekends on a racy historical novel about Aisha, the young wife of the prophet Muhammad. Ms. Jones learned Arabic, studied scholarly works about Aisha's life, and came to admire her protagonist as a woman of courage. When Random House bought her novel last year in a $100,000, two-book deal, she was ecstatic. This past spring, she began plans for an eight-city book tour after the Aug. 12 publication date of "The Jewel of Medina" -- a tale of lust, love and intrigue in the prophet's harem.
[You Still Can't Write About Muhammad]
Corbis

It's not going to happen: In May, Random House abruptly called off publication of the book. The series of events that torpedoed this novel are a window into how quickly fear stunts intelligent discourse about the Muslim world.

(visit the link for the full news article)

You freedom of speech is on the line. This story was on Google's news page, but only for a brief time. This story should be getting a great deal of coverage, but it will probably be buried.

What do we need to do to protect our freedom of speech, and our liberties from what it very real threat coming from the Muslim world?

online.wsj.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

Interesting news item.

I'm not sure why this would be inflammatory to Muslims and incite violence, it is based on research and historical documents...

Why are Muslims ashamed of their prophet having child brides?

Is it any worse than the current FLDS leader, now Jailed, who also had child brides?

The Catholic child sex abuse?

Maybe religion itself is a perversion.

Muslims do need a thicker skin when it comes to their faith, if their only defence of their faith is threats of, or acts of violence and murder. Then perhaps it is the truths that they actually fear, or are shamed by in some way.



[edit on 9-8-2008 by The_Alarmist2012]

A shame, I bet it would have been an interesting book.

But before I would go calling out Islam as the sole religion out to ban a certain book, I would remember that many popular religions do the same thing, or at least attempt to ban books, movies, television shows and anything else they deem deviant to the ways of their religion and the light they wish to be seen in.

NC-17 movie Priest ring any bells?

If I post the following will ATS then become a target of radical Muslims?

www.answering-islam.org...

Muhammad was 52 and Aisha was 9 when they married and sexually consummated their marriage. Muhammad followed an Arab custom in marrying a child who had her first menstrual cycle. This action must be questioned, regardless of it being a cultural norm, because Muhammad's action and teachings on marriage established an Islamic precedent: a girl is judged an adult following her first menses, and is eligible for marriage and sexual relations. Thus Muslim men are allowed to marry and have intercourse with young girls who have happened to have an early first menstrual cycle. As will be shown, this leads to physical and psychological damage to the child.

Muhammad's first wife - Khadija, died a few years before he fled to Medina. Later, he was encouraged to take another wife. At the age of 49 he was betrothed to Aisha, age six. Aisha was his closest friend's, Abu Bakr's, daughter. At that time, she had already been betrothed to another man but by mutual consent the betrothal was dissolved. Three years later, following her first menstrual cycle, he then formally married and sexually consummated his marriage with her.

Most Western people know it is not in a 9 year old girl's best interest to engage in marriage and sexual relations with a 52 year old man, regardless of the cultural setting. We know that, in our culture today, a person doing such a thing could possible be sent to prison for sex with a minor, statutory rape, or other related laws. Most of us find it questionable for Muhammad, a self proclaimed prophet of God, to do such a thing. We expect a real prophet to know better, or at least hear from God on the matter.

What is more critical than Muhammad's single action with Aisha is that he taught that a girl is considered an adult following her first menstrual cycle. He also taught that his followers were to follow his "sunnah" or lifestyle. Thus today, throughout much of the Mideast, girls as young as nine are often married by men old enough to be their grandfather.

A 52 year old pervert marries a 9 year old girl and has sexual relations with her.... And he is their prophet, the base from which their faith is drawn from. No wonder they do not want this published.

Watch out ATS, I expect suicide bombings to commence at any moment following this post... perhaps you should consider removing it?

While most religions protest publications that they feel is offensive, Islam is the only religion I am aware of in these modern times, that makes death threats, and carries out attacks against anyone associated with the publication. We need to develop a better way to protect our freedom of speech against this new threat.

Originally posted by niteboy82
But before I would go calling out Islam as the sole religion out to ban a certain book,

How many other faiths have gone as far as murder and violence in that regard?

Islam is religion of peace and tolerance, it is only radical Islam that is bad. I actually read that here at ATS somewhere.... So they have a good side to present to the world in defense of, and their radicals for the Jihad and to protect them from the ugly shameful truths they do not want in print or discussions outside of their Mosques.

How can a prophet who by today's standards would be nothing more than a dirty old man, a pervert pedophile be used to sell their pillars of faith and ideology to the world?

That is why Islam is so controlling over those who have committed to that faith... It is exactly why the western world or (infidels) should fear Islam.

T/A

One thing I think should be said, is that this article in The Wall Street Journal was written by a well known Muslim journalist. Gotta give credit where credit is due. There is hope in this world after all.

As far as this professor goes, I have to wonder why Random House, probably the world largest publishing house, would be willing to pay a $100,000 for a book that is "very ugly, stupid piece of work," as Ms. Spellberg claims. Ms. Spellberg wrote a response claiming she didn't kill the work, but why did she call up one of her cohorts who then spread the criticism around the web, putting the pressure on Random House to abandon the work. I hope someone is watching these people who are attacking the foundations of our freedom.

A commentator on the article made a nice suggestion, that everyone should be writing the University of Texas to complain about this woman's actions, and even more so about the actions of her cohort, Mr. Amanullah, who then spread the word to his troops to get the offensive going after hearing from Ms. Spellberg.

I am wondering, where are all of those people who are so quick to defend Islam now?

Is this particular issue to complicated for you?

In essence it is plainly simple.

There is a broader reason that radical Islam exists... and what is revealed in this thread is a part of that.

They will do anything to prevent publicity that sheds light on their prophet in this way... Yet it is from their Prophet that these revelations are made, his teachings that sexual relations with a child, are under approved conditions acceptable.

And I suppose it is okay to murder anyone who fails to understand this, to kill all who do not subscribe to this faith.

Get ready Muslims, I can hear the call to prayer now.

Originally posted by The_Alarmist2012
I....

Maybe religion itself is a perversion.

...
[edit on 9-8-2008 by The_Alarmist2012]

Brilliant! Star for you.

It has become increasingly evident that when human nature imposes itself on faith and spirituality, it does so at ALL levels. The whims and foibles of all religious movement have grown into more than a mere nuisance. They have become blights on mankind. Of course, and with all due respect, I am generalizing in the broadest sense.

All those 1.5bil terrorist muslims need to be nuked and be cleansed off the face of earth.They are all bad jihadi people.

Happy now?

There always seems to be a new thing to pi*# off the muslims..
Muslims this.. Muslims that.. blaa de blaa bla bla blaa...and than i myself have muslim freinds and seen muslim families and they are as peaceful as the standard natural resident of this country.

[edit on 9-8-2008 by Attari]

It seems to me that the single most offensive element of this book deal to certain devotees of Islam would be that it is a reaffirmation of western materialism impinging on their holiest spiritual text.

I suppose they have some legitimacy in their complaint, except of course their are compelled to kill over it. What more can be said?

Well if the Muslims are so angry about Muhammad's child bride then why is it that they still have it in their own books. Surely its there and we don't hear anything about banning those books. Its written in Arabic and so its translated into any language to read what it says. So it is written so let it be read.

Apparently the University of Texas has problems with Muslim students attacking Jewish students, and it took a Jewish group writing to the university to the the university to start protecting its own students from violence. Supposedly there is a lot of money going to the University of Texas from the Muslim world.

"The Jewel of Medina" -- a tale of lust, love and intrigue in the prophet's harem.

Do you blame muslims for going mad?

No doubt the book would be full of exagerattion of the Prophets marriage.

IF a muslim scholar wrote it with full evidence of the Prophets traditions,i bet there wouldn't have been a problem at all publishing it.

The U.S. should take a good look at the political turmoil that England and other European have brought upon themselves by allowing large populations of muslim radicals into their nations. Their freedom of speech when it comes to criticizing Islam doesn't exist. They have taken political correctness to such a ridiculous level, that it is now creating social and economic tension. Remember that film called "Fitna"....well video and web hosts were threatened multiple times for a simple film like that. Any free nation that gives voice to an inferior culture will soon find itself asking for one.

Originally posted by laiguana
The U.S. should take a good look at the political turmoil that England and other European have brought upon themselves by allowing large populations of muslim radicals into their nations. Their freedom of speech when it comes to criticizing Islam doesn't exist. They have taken political correctness to such a ridiculous level, that it is now creating social and economic tension. Remember that film called "Fitna"....well video and web hosts were threatened multiple times for a simple film like that. Any free nation that gives voice to an inferior culture will soon find itself asking for one.

Not all Muslims are radical extremists and can disagree with westerners without resorting to killing. Their cultural relationship with their belief is completely different from ours, Islam is as all encompassing a concept as Catholicism. Grow up.

Originally posted by Attari
All those 1.5bil terrorist muslims need to be nuked and be cleansed off the face of earth.They are all bad jihadi people.

You sir or ma'am are an extremist.

Conversely, do you believe that if the Muslims found a way to eliminate all form this world who are not Muslim, that they would hesitate to do it?

The bottom line is that Islam cannot erase the shames of their prophet without erasing him, and without him there can be no Islam... So they will defend it to the death. They will not allow any publicity that defames their prophet... And by discussing this here I suppose we have all done just that.

Consider yourselves warned ATS.

Originally posted by laiguana
The U.S. should take a good look at the political turmoil that England and other European have brought upon themselves by allowing large populations of muslim radicals into their nations.

You living is US can see large amounts of radical muslims in UK,but me living in UK never get to see these 'radicals'..

IF you don't mind,can you tell me where i can find these 'radicals'?

It is funny muslims still hardly understand their own religion.
muslims aren't allowed to write/draw about muhammad right?
that has nothing to do with non-muslims just because they have rammadahn doesn't mean non-muslims have to. When will humanity wake up from its barbaric dreams and beliefs.
As a great american once said( you wont here this from me likely for a long time) "If you don't like my country, GO HOME"
Seriously if you dont like that something is being written DONT READ IT, if you dont like something that is being said DONT LISTEN TO IT and by just a small chance you do not like a picture of any sort of... DONT LOOK AT IT

Peace is good

~Khounur

EDIT: had to change somethings

[edit on 9-8-2008 by Khounur]