Talk Islam » censorship

A Wikipedia entry was banned for a coupl …

thabet — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 18:36:38 +0000

A Wikipedia entry was banned for a couple of days in the UK; the ban has since been lifted.

The UAE has banned a book by a British a …

thabet — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 18:15:21 +0000

The UAE has banned a book by a British academic, Christopher Davidson.

The book is called Dubai: The Vulnerability of Success. Davidson’s views were noted in an earlier post. In the book he points out how the economic success, dwindling oil resource, and need for foreign investment “could clash with the ideological, religious and cultural legitimacy” of the ruling family.

Looks like a spectacular own goal, really. There is no point in talking about knowledge economies and university cities if this is the attitude to critical thought (and this book was published by Columbia University Press, so it had been peer reviewed). However, Faisal Devji’s words are worth noting:

“This management (of information) is not political so much as corporate, resembling regulations common in workplaces around the world, since the UAE is as much a corporation as a country. In this respect it represents the global future of politics and capitalism…”

It wouldn’t surprise me if they lifted the ban, eventually.

(And yes, this is what you can call censorship.)

I am sorry, but here is another link on …

thabet — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 16:29:20 +0000

I am sorry, but here is another link on Random House and Jewel of Madina. This time it is to Aziz’s shiny new Beliefnet blog.

Malaysia has blocked a controversial blo …

Fatemeh — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 05:54:11 +0000

Malaysia has blocked a controversial blog, which is believed to be the first official crackdown on a local site.

Irshad Manji offers her views on the Jew …

thabet — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 20:54:40 +0000

Irshad Manji offers her views on the Jewel of Madina controversy.

(Via Haroon Moghul.)

Related: See Talk Islam’s Jewel of Madina archives.

censorship is not the proper name

aziz — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 21:36:54 +0000

“censorship is not the proper name; a better one would be judgment.”

Stanley Fish, writing about the Jewel of Medina controversy in The New York Times. He critiques Rushdie’s attempt to interject himself into the fray as well.

Stanley Fish: ‘Whatever you call it, do …

thabet — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 12:36:31 +0000

Stanley Fish says whatever you call the decision by Random House not to publish the Jewel of Madina, don’t call it censorship.

Meanwhile, the Jewel of Madina has divided Muslim opinion in Serbia.

Related posts: Read the views of Shahed Amanullah, Denise Spellberg, Sherry Jones, G. Willow Wilson, Johann Hari, Sunny Hundal and Salman Rushdie.

The comments on one of the several threa …

thabet — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 11:49:50 +0000

The comments on one of the several threads touching on the Jewel of Madina issue has inevitably led to discussing Salman Rushdie.

Given that Random House have also published some of Rushdie’s books, it was only a matter of time before the Knight Bachelor would offer his thoughts.

(I would like to note that back in 1990 Rushdie threatened legal action against an English writer for depicting his situation, following the Iranian fatwa, in a play.)

Related: Read the views of Denise Spellberg, Shahed Amanullah, the author Sherry Jones, Willow, Johann Hari and Sunny Hundal.

The Martyr

muse — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 18:10:31 +0000

Ms. Sherry Jones, she of all things tolerant, who courageously “refuse[s] to succumb to racism,” writes about her anguish over having her book Jewel of Medina pulled.

I think Willow’s comment says it all.

Denise Spellberg, the academic at the ce …

thabet — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 06:54:00 +0000

Denise Spellberg, the academic at the centre of the Jewel of Madina controversy, responds to Asra Nomani’s article “You Still Can’t Write About Muhammad” (covered by Shahed, who was also mentioned in Nomani’s WSJ article).