What y’all are missing is that the basis of the “literary criticism” is nothing to do with writing style or skill

What you’re missing is that the words “literary criticism” are missing in my post. I believe it is possible to be a critic of something without literary criticism being involved. I also believe it is possible to criticise a novel without being a literary critic. Bizarre, huh?

it is a RELIGIOUS objection.

Amazing deductive skills. Considering the objection was made by an Islamic scholar, yes, one would assume “it is a RELIGIOUS objection.” Which has led to a court case, against the Islamic scholar. For writing an article that objects to a novel.

Bu’esa is indisputably free to write what she wants, and her novel, while not the first of its kind, has an audience large enough to be an indication of more open-minded attitudes. The fact that she’s bringing those who don’t like her novel to court though – seems slightly ironic.

But the author was not excoriated for dissing the/a religion.

There are no charges against Bu’esa, who wrote the novel. The charges are against Alwaleed, who doesn’t think much of the novel. I know this doesn’t fit your Islamocracy paradigm, but do try to bend your mind around it.

Author and novel are doing just fine. In fact Bu’esa has achieved cult status among certain members in the student community who habitually revere anything and anyone even slightly implicated in ‘transgression’ – i.e. those well-fed rebels, sons and daughters of the elite.

There’s no censorship involved here. No fatwas, no death threats and no apostates. The power, in this equation, is with the attorney turned author.

Only in Islamocracy is this a crime

If it was a crime, Bu’esa would be the one in court, no?

What she’s done is that she’s written a novel of questionable literary merit with a plucky heroine who hates Islam, capitalizing on the trash-Islam-get-famous trend, and then, fanning the flames, played ground-breaking brave young Moderate Muslim woman writer, victim of Takfiri Wahhabi Islamofascist Extremists. Of course -

Self-righteous morons will applaud!

Only in Islamocracy is this a crime. Fatwas will fly! Apostates will be expunged! Self-righteous morons will applaud!

I do not wish to comment on where these books should be published or shouldn’t, should religious sentiments be played with or shouldn’t, we already have the book in the stores.

What I found interesting about this case is that it is like an inversion of the usual freedom of speech issue. It’s not the author but the critics who are in court for expressing their opinion.