Author of the week: Sherry Jones
Sherry Jones' first novel, The Jewel of Medina, was pulled by Random House because of fears of violence from radical Muslims. But the book was picked up by European publishers and will shortly be released in the U.S. by Beauf
Sherry Jones is no Salman Rushdie, said Shahed Amanullah in Altmuslim.com. Rushdie’s name was often invoked in the press this summer when the 46-year-old Jones had her first novel pulled by its U.S. publisher because of fears that the book would incite radical Muslims to violence. But where Rushdie’s novel The Satanic Verses prompted Iran’s religious leader to issue a 1989 fatwa calling for the author’s execution, neither Jones nor the offices of Random House have received any actual threats. And where Rushdie’s controversial book sharply challenged Muslim teachings, Jones’ The Jewel of Medina is intended as a celebration of the relationship between Mohammed and Aisha, the onetime child bride known as the Prophet’s favorite wife. “They’re a great epic couple, really,” says Jones. “The love story just drew me in.”
The firestorm hasn’t killed Jones’ dream, said Nicholas K. Geronias in the Associated Press. The Jewel of Medina has been picked up by publishers throughout Europe, and last week it was announced that the novel would soon be released in the U.S. by the same small house, Beaufort Books, that last year published O.J. Simpson’s hypothetical murder confession. Jones, a Montana journalist who began studying Islam after 9/11, says she hopes that the conversation about the book can now move on to the themes she intended it to raise. Early Islam, she says, championed “women’s empowerment” and valued forgiveness and peace. “What I see as the Islam Mohammed envisioned has, in crucial ways, been changed."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
5 fact-checked cartoons about the VP debate
Cartoons Artists take on civil disagreements, admissions, and more
By The Week US Published
-
The Japanese villages where time stood still
The Week Recommends Up to 200 villagers cooperate to thatch a roof in a single day, preserving this beautiful tradition
By The Week UK Published
-
Crossword: October 6, 2024
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published