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The Jewel of Medina to hit U.S. bookshelves on Monday

03.10.2008 16:09 Arts - Source: cbc.ca

Sherry Jones, the writer from Spokane, Wash., says she is not afraid for her safety in book tour to promote The Jewel of Medina. (Associated Press)

The U.S. publisher of a novel based on the life of the Prophet Muhammad's favourite wife plans to push forward publication of the controversial book by 10 days to this coming Monday.

New York-based Beaufort Books, which also published the authorized version of O.J. Simpson's If I Did It, said it hoped to reduce the chance of violence with early publication of The Jewel of Medina, by American writer Sherry Jones.

On Saturday, British police arrested three men after the home of the London publisher of the novel, Martin Rynja, was firebombed. They have been charged with plotting to endanger life and damage property, police said Thursday. One of the men was also charged with possessing a weapon 'designed or adapted for the discharge of a noxious liquid or gas.'

U.K. publication is now stalled and Rynja is reported to be in hiding on advice of the police.

"By speeding up the publication, we wanted to reduce or eliminate the chance of violence," Eric Kampmann, president of Beaufort Books, said Thursday, adding he has not heard of threats over publication of the book in the U.S.

"What had occurred in London, we didn't want to have occur here. We wanted people to have a chance to read the book. Once they read the book, we thought the violence part of this story would disappear and people would be focusing on the story and the book and Sherry."

Random House backed down from publishing The Jewel of Medina in the U.S. this August after an academic called it "softcore pornography" and warned it might incite violence among Muslims.

Jones said she was not worried about her safety and denied there was pornography in her novel, an interpretation of the life of Aisha, Mohammad's third wife, and an important leader in early Islam.

"I have spoken to a member of the FBI and have been assured I have not been targeted, so I will continue to go about my life as usual," Jones said.

"I'm excited that the book is coming out Monday because once people read it, any possible threat will be eliminated."

Jones said she researched the history of Islam extensively before writing the book.

Jones so far has appearances scheduled in Spokane, Wash., where she lives, and at the Montana Festival of the Book, in Missoula.

With files from the Associated Press

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