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Loading ...British author banned from Dubai over book’s gay reference
02.17.2009 8:07am EST
(London) A British author said Monday she has been banned from a Dubai literary festival because her forthcoming novel contains references to homosexuality.
The first International Festival of Literature in Dubai, which runs from Feb. 26 to Mar. 1, has authors including Margaret Atwood, Louis de Bernieres and Jung Chang listed on the program.Geraldine Bedell, a journalist for the Observer newspaper and the author of several previous novels, said organizers had been discussing launching her book, “The Gulf Between Us,” which is set in the Gulf, at the festival.
But she claims festival director Isobel Abulhoul later wrote to her publishers, saying: “I don’t want our festival remembered for the launch of a controversial book.”
“The Gulf Between Us” is scheduled to be published by Penguin in April.
The Associated Press made repeated attempts to contact Dubai officials and the festival organizers for comment, but there was no answer at the festival offices, and government officials did not immediately respond.
Bedell said Abulhoul wrote to Penguin toward the end of last year to say the book was not acceptable because one of her characters, Sheikh Rashid, is gay. The author also said festival organizers complained that “it talks about Islam and queries what is said.”
Bedell, who lived in Bahrain for five years in the 1980s, said Sheikh Rashid “is only spoken about” and “assumed to be gay.”
“Of course it does make reference to Islam because it’s a Muslim country and part of it is set during Ramadan,” she added. “But the narrator – a middle-aged Englishwoman – is incredibly respectful to Islam.”
Another criticism from the organizers, according to Bedell, was that “it is set in the Gulf and focuses on the Iraq war.” But she said the book’s action was set in the months leading up to the Iraq war.
“They (festival organizers) were talking to Penguin about the possibility of launching my book there because my book is set in the Gulf and there are few books in English set in the Gulf,” she told The Associated Press.
“It seemed to be a very good fit and everyone was very enthusiastic about it and it was full steam ahead, and then they had a copy of the book and then they wrote to Penguin and said ‘No, it’s not acceptable’.
“It’s ironic because the book is incredibly sympathetic to the Gulf.”
Bedell’s publisher, Juliet Annan, said: “It’s all very unfortunate. In effect the censor has said they will ban it, which means no book chain can buy it.”
The festival’s Web site invites people to “Join 65 of the world’s leading authors in workshops, discussion groups and book signings at the first event of its kind in the Middle East.”
The cure for this book banning episode is really quite simple. Every author scheduled to participate should withdraw. These authors should realize that the next book banned in this backward country could well be theirs.
I was wondering just how open to the west Dubai would be. They’re quickly growing, in no small part due to investments made by the western world in their real estate, retail and other such sectors.
Yet, they’re still refusing to open themselves to western culture and ideas. They want our money (though, admittedly, they already have plenty of their own), but they certainly don’t want the people who have that money. It’s a cut-and-dried case of biting the hands that feed you. Of course, that tends to happen with religious people, so I’m not at all surprised.
And the festival is going on? Literary my $#%! What respectable person associated with writing would associate with censorship? If anyone shows up they are revealing their disdane for values in lieu of the almight dollar.
Please do not travel to these countries. Many will KILL you if you are caught haveing sex in your own hotel room with your spouse! This along side royalty that routinely pick up young street men to do their thing without fear of reprisal.
there are so many reasons not to support the islamic “culture”. Yes, the author claims she was respectful. Of what? A “culture” that advocates beating women, stoning rape victims to death, multiple wives, childhood homosexuality that you must grow out of or else..etc.
Ok, say it, I’m a bigot. i don’t understand the cultural differences. Bullshit. We should not accept “cultural differences” that constitute crimes against humanity.
Pakistan just gave up a huge swath to the Taliban who is closing schools for girls. We let this happen at our peril. If we continue to let religious idealogs ruin our freedoms here and abroad, we will have nobody to blame but ourselves.
It starts at home..illegal prayer at the secular (not!) inauguration. Where were the boos! EVERY American, religious or not, should have been booing them. It is a secular event. Even the Chief Justice added “so help me god” in defiance of our secular constitution which has no mention of god anywhere and certainly not in the president’s oath..which is in there to protect it from changes just like this.
Outrage agains religious ideology is what is needed here and those writers and publishers that go to Dubai should be ashamed of themselves. Don’t go.
Oh very well put Morgan. Thanks for the geo lesson! LMAO!
Dubai is one the UAE (United Arab Emirates)countries on the Arabian peninsula shared with Saudi Arabia, Muscat and Oman, Yemen, Qatar, etc.
Dubai is not part of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia itself.
yes tom! Make sure you make UAE/Saudi Arabia/kuwait/bahrain blah,blah,blah one of your premier global destinations. oh don’t forget Iran, that’s just a mere stone’s throw across the channel.
I am pretty sure Dubai is not in Saudi Arabia. But sad. I was thinking of going there someday but perhaps not.
Tom in Long Beach
gee does this come as a shock to anyone?!? Ultra homophobe Saudi Arabia has banned(GASP) a book which mentions ho-hom-homo-homosexuals???? May allah forgive us all! ROFL! methinks sheik rashid needs to definitely come out of his little billion dollar closet!
Bruce Said: “Interesting… Dubai has no real power ….just enormous wealth!
Why do we allow ourselves (as a culture)to be seduced by the vanities of wealth while turning our backs on our principles.”
To the corporate mindset, the unrestrained, and often unethical, persuit of wealth is the founding principle. It’s not that we as a culture have forgotten our principles, it is that we as a culture have deluded ourselves for so long into believing that those “principles” we hold so dear in theory, yet rarely the same “principles” we value and follow in actual practice, are one in the same. We are a culture of smoke & mirrors and hypocrisy. We proclaim freedom yet many of our biggest trading partners use slave/wage slave/forced labor to produce their goods. We champion equality yet have state-enforced laws and amendments that perpetuates a class system in which some minorities are less equal than others. We claim to honor and respect life, yet our soldiers kill & die for oil and material wealth while corporate opportunists rape and exploit our natural environment for the benefit of a privileged few.
We are living according to our priciples.
Interesting… Dubai has no real power ….just enormous wealth!
Why do we allow ourselves (as a culture)to be seduced by the vanities of wealth while turning our backs on our principles.
Actually, the Sony/Ericcson tournament should have pulled out as soon as they banned an eligible player.
I’ll be none to sad when Dubai sinks back into the sand.
Wow, that’s two “controversial” people banned from the UAE in a week. First an Israeli tennis player, now this.
At least the tennis tournament is being smart and voluntarily banning itself from the UAE after this year and moving to less hateful lands.