Melville House Books

Nedim Gursel

Bookninja points us to this article by Sebnem Arsu, on the New York Times Arts Beat blog: “A Turkish author on trial after being charged with inciting religious hatred in a novel based on the birth of Islam said that his book was a work of fiction but the result of extensive research and consultation with religious leaders, and therefore could not be called blasphemous.” Seems author Nedim Gursel faces up to a year in jail if convicted of having committed blashphemy in his novel Daughters of Allah. After it came out last yar, “a citizen complained that Mr. Gursel had used inappropriate language against the Prophet Muhammad, his wives and the Koran,” says the Times.

But Gursel is not giving up easily. He’s written a public letter to Turksih Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in which he notes “the damage such trials could cause Turkey’s efforts to join the European Union. Similar trials against intellectuals like the Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk have caused local and international protests, forcing lawmakers to redefine statutes addressing freedom of expression. But despite changes intended to pave the way to E.U. membership, intellectuals and writers remain vulnerable to laws that are often criticized as having vague and subjective language.”

Dennis Johnson is the founder of MobyLives, and the co-founder and co-publisher of Melville House.