Opinion: The Enemy Within -- Self-Censorship

(Sept. 27) -- Silence is consent. That's why I spoke out when, in 2008, my U.S. publisher "indefinitely postponed" publication of my novel "The Jewel of Medina" out of fear of terrorist reprisals.

Today, the book continues to top "banned books" lists. Muslim extremists are still screaming over a book they haven't read, and Islamophobes are still grumbling because "The Jewel of Medina" doesn't give them the ammo they need to bash a religion they don't understand.

A few weeks after Random House executives pulled the plug on "The Jewel of Medina," my heart pounded as I told my story to a journalist, for I knew the consequences could be dire. Ballantine, a subsidiary of Random House, wanted me to sign a nondisclosure agreement promising to never tell a soul what had happened. Going public would certainly kill my chances of working with it again and might keep me from getting another publisher.

I also dreaded bringing the wrong kind of attention to my novel, which tells the story of the Muslim Prophet Muhammad's marriage to the youngest of his 13 wives. But as a journalist of 30 years, I had to speak. Random House is big, and so were the consequences of its decision. The public had a right to know -- otherwise, how could we stop this kind of self-censorship from happening again?

The Constitution's First Amendment is the very best thing about living in the United States. Unlike in Malaysia, where "The Jewel of Medina" is forbidden, our government doesn't ban books. The U.S. doesn't have a censorship bureau, unlike in Egypt, where a book must pass official muster before it can be offered for sale. Supposedly, any of us can write anything we want and publish it.

But the choice to suppress my book out of fear -- there were never even threats, but warnings that there might be threats -- gives the lie to the very notion of free speech. Even more egregious, to me, was the attempt to keep me from talking about it.

A few weeks before publication of "The Jewel of Medina" in the U.K., my British publisher's home office was set on fire. Three men, all Muslims, were convicted and jailed. Ginbson Square Books backed out of publishing the book. Some said the attack justified Random House's decision. But I wonder: Can any thug with a can of gas and a lighter -- or the idea of such a thug -- now stop a book from being published?

"Censorship by fear," Salman Rushdie called it, referring to the quashing of my book. "It sets a dangerous precedent indeed."

My book has been published in 20 languages, including in the U.S. by Beaufort Books. One could make the argument that Random House didn't censor "The Jewel of Medina" but that the publishing giant censored itself. To me, this is more alarming than if the government had stepped in and quashed it. Self-censorship is the most nefarious impingement on speech, because it is hidden. Until someone talks, it never happened.

Banned Books Week always gets people talking about "The Jewel of Medina," spurring anew criticisms of the book, threats against me and outrage over its suppression, especially in the U.K. Although I've turned my attention to a new project, I'm heartened that the debate and discussion continue.

The only way the censors -- and self-censors -- can win is if we stop talking.

Author and journalist Sherry Jones is the author of "The Jewel of Medina" and "The Sword of Medina." She is at work on her third novel, about four sister-queens in the Middle Ages. Find out more about Jones and her books on Red Room.