Excerpt:
The Norwegian historian and journalist Halvor Tjønn has written a biography of the founder of Islam, Muhammed. The book was announced by the Oslo publisher Kagge in last year's fall catalog. But now the publisher has suddenly pulled out — and refuses to provide any explanation of why it no longer wishes to publish the book.
According to the newspaper Aftenposten, Kagge says that it doesn't consider it dangerous to put out such a book, but at the same time it refuses to give a reason for its turnaround:
It was five years ago today that Jyllands-Posten published the drawings that led to the cartoon crisis. In Halvor Tjønn's planned Muhammed biography there are no illustrations. Tjønn delivered the manuscript of his book, which is based largely on Muslim historians' accounts of the prophet's life, as early as late January last year. The historical records the author has used as the basis for his book are from the eighth and ninth centuries.
"We have now agreed with the author that we will not publish this book.We wish him luck with another publisher," says Anne Gaathaug, Kaage's publishing director.