“Prolific religious, social, and cultural writer, and expert on traditional marriage in search of an publisher for a proper and traditional marriage guide.
This self-help guide has been vetted and approved by legal experts and First Amendment attorneys at the prominent law firm of Dewey, Cheatham, and Howe and publishing liability experts at Hittham, Haird, and Fahst.
The book is a virtual how-to manual on the proper way to control, restrain, scold, and beat wives into submission to create a happy, healthy, and satisfying marriage; a marriage to last a lifetime. The book is based upon the translations of scholarly and theological treatises of from various faiths, denominations, and sects across the span of centuries.
In this era of high divorce rates, with proper marketing, this book has the potential to be an international best seller.
Research has shown men are looking for successful methods to achieve a happy satisfying life long marriage. Absolute control of and submission by their wives is the key.
Chapter lessons include:
- The necessity “to restrain the wife with strength or even to threaten her.”
- “How the husband should treat the wife with kindness and love, even if she tends to be stupid and slow sometimes.”
- The absolute rights of the husband, which include his wife’s inability to leave “his house without his permission,” and that his wife must “fulfill his desires” and “not allow herself to be untidy … but should beautify herself for him.
- How a husband may scold her, “beat by hand or stick,” withhold money from her or “pull (her) by the ears,” but should “refrain from beating her excessively.”
Enclosed are three sample chapters, research materials, and the legal opinions. SASE also enclosed.”
CHICAGO, March 25, 2012—Imagine an American publisher receiving that query letter. Does anyone believe that a book of this nature could be published, sold in bookstores, let alone fly off the shelves and become hard to find?
People would be horrified and heads would explode if a book like this were published in the United States. Its sale here would incite riots.
Womyn would be appalled. NOW would be in high boycott mode, churning out manifestos and calling in professional protesters to storm the book stores. Radical feminists would have a bounty on the author’s head. The media would be on fire, Congressional Democrats would demand hearings, and Sandra Fluke might be asked to testify. This president would express his concern, talk about his daughters, then move on to the fuel potential of algae.
There would be angry and strident legal debates on free speech and the First Amendment.
Guess what?
Islamic scholar Hazrat Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi has written a 160-page book just like that, “A Gift for a Muslim Couple.” It was published in India and distributed in Canada by Idara Impex. It sold out. Bookstores do not know when they will receive more copies. It was also available on ebay Canada.
From various Canadian press reports, the book is generating outrage across Canada, especially in the Muslim community. The Canadian press got wind of it whan a copy was found in an Islamic book, gift and souvenir store, and brought to the attention of the Toronto Sun.
A web search produced no results from major American booksellers, but it did turn up pages and pages of reportage, controversy, and outrage.
Could a book like that be sold openly in the United States? What would happen if it were, or if a member of another faith wrote a similar book and a publisher picked it up?
Bret Easton Ellis wrote “American Psycho” in 1990, a tale about a serial killer who preys on women. Its extreme graphic violence, sexual content, scenes of mutilation, butchery, necrophilia, and cannibalism generated enormous controversy before and after its publication.
“Described variously as ”the most loathsome offering of the season” (Roger Rosenblatt in The New York Times) and ”a how-to manual on the torture and dismemberment of women” (Tammy Bruce of NOW), Ellis’ novel has made even some die-hard advocates of free speech wish the book off the face of the earth.” (Entertainment Weekly March, 1991)
“Spy Magazine” described “American Psycho” as ”misogynistic barbarism.” After the original publisher, Simon Shuster, caved in to pressure and refused to publish it, Vintage Books, a Random House imprint, picked it up. The book went on to become a national best seller.
In an odd twist, when the book was made into a movie, Christian Bale was given the lead role. Mr. Bale is the stepson of feminist and social activist Gloria Steinem, who vociferously protested the book.
If this book hit American bookstores, even just Muslim bookstores, it would present a delicious and interesting dilemma. It would pit the anti-Muslim groups and women’s groups against people who defend free speech.
It would be interesting to see how all those right-wing, tin-foil hat Constitution thumpers would react, since most are anti-Muslim, for national security purposes, you see.
How would the left-wing, tin-foil hat protectors of civil rights respond? How would they reconcile their overbearing tolerance for Islam with a book that advocates domestic abuse in order to attain a life long happy marriage?
Moonbattery and bloviation would abound from all the dark corners of the political spectrum. The howls of protest from all sides would be deafening.
It would be interesting to see if American booksellers and libraries would stock “A Gift for a Muslim Couple.” Do they have the nerve, guts, or courage? Or would they cave in to the political correctness police and censorship?
Is “A Gift for a Muslim Couple” protected by free speech and the exercise of free religion or does it go too far?
We may not find out. But it would be fun to watch the fireworks.
Peter V. Bella is a retired Chicago Police Officer, freelance writer and photographer, cook, and raconteur. He likes to be the sharp stick that pokes, prods, and annoys. His opinions are his and his alone.
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