KARACHI: The government of Sindh has banned a controversial novel about Hazrat Aisha, calling it offensive.
The novel 'the Jewel of Medina,’ written by Sherry Jones, is said to contain objectionable material which can "create a law and order situation in the country.' The department of interior in an order said all copies of the novel will be confiscated.
The novel reportedly tells the story of Hazrat Aisha from the age of six, when she was betrothed to Muhammad, to his death.
It was scheduled for publication by Random House in 2008, who later refused to publish it on the pretext of regarding Muslim sentiment.
Later, it was announced that the novel would be published by Beaufort Books in the United States and by Gibson Square in the United Kingdom. Eventually it was published in the US by Beaufort Books.
University of Texas Professor of History and Middle Eastern Studies, Denise Spellberg said the novel "made fun of Muslims and their history.' She called the novel a "very ugly, stupid piece of work.'
"I don't have a problem with historical fiction. I do have a problem with the deliberate misinterpretation of history. You can't play with a sacred history,' she was quoted as saying in the Wall Street Journal.
Dawn
