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Next Satanic Verses to be published next month

     New York: The racy, historical novel about the Prophet Mohammad and his child bride, will be released next month by its new publisher Gibson Square after Random House fearing that the book could "incite acts of violence" and anger Muslims refused to publish it. Sherry Jones' controversial work, "The Jewel of Medina," will be released in Great Britain next month by Gibson Square, said company's director Martin Rynja. "She's written about a beautiful subject and she's written about it in a way that shows nothing but the greatest respect for the Muslim religion. If such a book cannot be published then we're back in the dark ages," Rynja said. The book would be published in the United States, though details of those plans weren't immediately clear, FOX News reported. Random House last month decided to postpone Jones' book indefinitely just weeks before its scheduled release date because of fears of violent reaction by Islamic extremists. Considered a rare case of self-censorship in the US, Random House said it made its decision after consulting with security experts and scholars of Islam. Jones said Random House broke her contract after paying her a 100,000 dollar advance and allowing her to seek another publisher. Gibson Square would not say how much it had paid to acquire the rights to "The Jewel of Medina." "We made a compelling offer but it's not just about the money. It's about the publishing program you put together - that you publish it well and allow the author to get her point across in best possible way," Rynja said, adding, "It was one of the highest advance we've paid here for a book." -Sept 4, 2008

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