Serbian Publisher to Print Sequel to “The Jewel of Medina”

A Serbian publisher, the first in the world to publish a controversial novel based on the Prophet Mohammed’s life, has plans to publish the sequel.

“The Jewel of Medina”, the debut novel of American journalist Sherry Jones, hit bookstores in Serbia last August, a week before Random House cancelled its US launch. As in other countries, the Muslim community in Serbia also requested the book’s ban, saying they were offended by the novel, especially the details describing the intimacy between Mohammed and his young wife A’isha.
The BeoBook publishing house withdrew the book from the stores, saying it had no intention to insult anyone, but released it again a month later, when publishers in other countries announced they were going ahead with distribution plans.
Jones’s follow-up, “A’isha and A’lli”, will follow A’isha’s life after the prophet’s death.
“I think the manuscript will be ready in few weeks and we’ll immediately contact the author to buy the rights and prepare a translation,” publisher  Aleksandar Jasic told Belgrade Insight. “We plan to have it ready for the Belgrade Book fair in October.”
Jasic opened his publishing house two years ago with what he describes as an ambition to publish quality literature by foreign authors but also books that might provoke special interest or get people to consider controversial topics.
He bought the rights to the manuscript of “The Jewel of Medina” before the book’s global launch, explaining he saw its bestseller potential as the first fictional account of Mohammad’s private life.
The book still tops Serbian bestseller lists.