Denise Spellberg
Encyclopedia
Denise A. Spellberg is an American
scholar of Islamic history. She is an associate professor of history and Middle Eastern Studies
at the University of Texas at Austin
. Spellberg holds a BA from Smith College
(1980) and a PhD (1989) from Columbia University
.
in Islamic tradition is widely cited. In particular, Spellberg shows how later commentators reinterpreted Aisha’s role at the Battle of Camel (656,) where she rode her camel into battle against Ali
but stayed inside the litter with the curtains closed, as an argument that women should never participate in public affairs.
regarding The Jewel of Medina
, a to-be-published historical novel about Aisha
by American journalist Sherry Jones, was leaked to the press. Spellberg reportedly informed Random House that publication would expose Random House employees to Islamic terrorism and that Muslims would react with the kind of violence seen in past controversies over The Satanic Verses
and the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons
. No actual threats were received by Random House. Random House indefinitely postponed publication of the novel for "fear of a possible terrorist threat from extremist Muslims" and concern for "the safety and security of the Random House building and employees."
An opinion piece in The Wall Street Journal
claimed that Spellberg was "the instigator of the trouble." The piece, written by Asra Nomani, stated that Spellberg had received copies of the galleys of the novel from the publicity department at Random House, which hoped for publishable comments (i.e., a blurb
) from Spellberg, an academic expert on Muhammad, for use on the book jacket. Spellberg did not support the book from an academic perspective, calling it a "very ugly, stupid piece of work" and an attempt to turn "sacred history… into soft core pornography." Nomani said that Shahed Amanullah, a guest lecturer in Spellberg's classes and the editor of altmuslim.com, a popular Muslim Web site, sent emails to a listserv of Middle East and Islamic studies graduate students, claiming that Spellberg had given him a "frantic" call telling him to "warn Muslims" about the novel. Similarly, Jane Garrett, an editor at Random House's Knopf imprint, said in an email that Spellberg had told her she thought the novel should be withdrawn, and that the company could face a major threat to its staff and property if it was not.
In the wake of Nomani's article The Washington Post
criticized Spellberg for advising Random House to "dump" the book "[w]ithout waiting for an actual uproar in the Muslim world"; the Jyllands-Posten
, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and the Las Vegas Review-Journal
= also condemned Spellberg. Irshad Manji
wrote in The Globe and Mail
that pre-emptive censorship was offensive to Muslims, while Adam Kirsch
criticized Spellberg and Random House for depriving the Muslim reading public of the freedom to reimagine their religious tradition through the eyes of a novelist. University of Pennsylvania
adjunct lecturer Carlin Romano
criticized Spellberg for her "aggressive act" in working to cancel publication, for effectually advocating censorship, and for her "disingenuous" attempts to deny that she had played an instrumental role in the Random House decision.
Spellberg subsequently wrote a letter to the Wall Street Journal contesting Nomani's characterization of her as the "instigator" of the book's cancellation. Spellberg stated that "I felt it was my professional responsibility to counter this novel's fallacious representation of a very real woman's life." However, she insisted that "I do not espouse censorship of any kind, but I do value my right to critique those who abuse the past without regard for its richness or resonance in the present." She also stated that "The author and the press brought me into a process, and I used my scholarly expertise to assess the novel. It was in that same professional capacity that I felt it my duty to warn the press of the novel's potential to provoke anger among some Muslims." Regarding her phone call to Shahed Amanullah, Spellberg said she had only intended to call the book to his attention, and that he had apparently misunderstood her intentions. Spellberg also stated that since the story broke she has received hate mail and been roundly pilloried online, stating that "they are calling me an opponent of free speech, saying I am a supporter of Muslim extremists".
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
scholar of Islamic history. She is an associate professor of history and Middle Eastern Studies
Middle Eastern studies
Middle Eastern studies is a name given to a number of academic programs associated with the study of the history, culture, politics, economies, and geography of the Middle East, an area that is generally interpreted to cover a range of nations extending from North Africa in the west to the Chinese...
at the University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
. Spellberg holds a BA from Smith College
Smith College
Smith College is a private, independent women's liberal arts college located in Northampton, Massachusetts. It is the largest member of the Seven Sisters...
(1980) and a PhD (1989) from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
.
Academic work on Aisha
Spellberg’s work on the portrayal of AishaAisha
Aisha bint Abu Bakr also transcribed as was Muhammad's favorite wife...
in Islamic tradition is widely cited. In particular, Spellberg shows how later commentators reinterpreted Aisha’s role at the Battle of Camel (656,) where she rode her camel into battle against Ali
Ali
' |Ramaḍān]], 40 AH; approximately October 23, 598 or 600 or March 17, 599 – January 27, 661).His father's name was Abu Talib. Ali was also the cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and ruled over the Islamic Caliphate from 656 to 661, and was the first male convert to Islam...
but stayed inside the litter with the curtains closed, as an argument that women should never participate in public affairs.
The Jewel of Medina
Spellberg became part of a burgeoning controversy when an email she sent to Random HouseRandom House
Random House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
regarding The Jewel of Medina
The Jewel of Medina
The Jewel of Medina is a historical novel by Sherry Jones. It was scheduled for publication by Random House in 2008, but subsequently canceled; it was subsequently announced that it would be published by Beaufort Books in the United States and by Gibson Square in the United Kingdom and the...
, a to-be-published historical novel about Aisha
Aisha
Aisha bint Abu Bakr also transcribed as was Muhammad's favorite wife...
by American journalist Sherry Jones, was leaked to the press. Spellberg reportedly informed Random House that publication would expose Random House employees to Islamic terrorism and that Muslims would react with the kind of violence seen in past controversies over The Satanic Verses
The Satanic Verses
The Satanic Verses is Salman Rushdie's fourth novel, first published in 1988 and inspired in part by the life of Prophet Muhammad. As with his previous books, Rushdie used magical realism and relied on contemporary events and people to create his characters...
and the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons
Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy
The Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy began after 12 editorial cartoons, most of which depicted the Islamic prophet Muhammad, were published in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten on 30 September 2005...
. No actual threats were received by Random House. Random House indefinitely postponed publication of the novel for "fear of a possible terrorist threat from extremist Muslims" and concern for "the safety and security of the Random House building and employees."
An opinion piece in The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
claimed that Spellberg was "the instigator of the trouble." The piece, written by Asra Nomani, stated that Spellberg had received copies of the galleys of the novel from the publicity department at Random House, which hoped for publishable comments (i.e., a blurb
Blurb
A blurb is a short summary or some words of praise accompanying a creative work, usually used on books without giving away any details, that is usually referring to the words on the back of the book jacket but also commonly seen on DVD and video cases, web portals, and news websites.- History :The...
) from Spellberg, an academic expert on Muhammad, for use on the book jacket. Spellberg did not support the book from an academic perspective, calling it a "very ugly, stupid piece of work" and an attempt to turn "sacred history… into soft core pornography." Nomani said that Shahed Amanullah, a guest lecturer in Spellberg's classes and the editor of altmuslim.com, a popular Muslim Web site, sent emails to a listserv of Middle East and Islamic studies graduate students, claiming that Spellberg had given him a "frantic" call telling him to "warn Muslims" about the novel. Similarly, Jane Garrett, an editor at Random House's Knopf imprint, said in an email that Spellberg had told her she thought the novel should be withdrawn, and that the company could face a major threat to its staff and property if it was not.
In the wake of Nomani's article The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
criticized Spellberg for advising Random House to "dump" the book "[w]ithout waiting for an actual uproar in the Muslim world"; the Jyllands-Posten
Jyllands-Posten
Morgenavisen Jyllands-Posten , commonly shortened to Jyllands-Posten or JP, is a Danish daily broadsheet newspaper. It is based in Viby, a suburb of Århus, and with a weekday circulation of approximately 120,000 copies, it is among the largest-selling newspaper in Denmark...
, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and the Las Vegas Review-Journal
Las Vegas Review-Journal
The Las Vegas Review-Journal is published in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. It is the largest circulating daily newspaper in Nevada, and one of two daily newspapers in Las Vegas . It is the flagship publication of Stephens Media LLC...
= also condemned Spellberg. Irshad Manji
Irshad Manji
Irshad Manji is a Canadian author, journalist and an advocate of "reform and progressive" interpretation of Islam. Manji is director of the Moral Courage Project at the Robert F...
wrote in The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail is a nationally distributed Canadian newspaper, based in Toronto and printed in six cities across the country. With a weekly readership of approximately 1 million, it is Canada's largest-circulation national newspaper and second-largest daily newspaper after the Toronto Star...
that pre-emptive censorship was offensive to Muslims, while Adam Kirsch
Adam Kirsch
Adam Kirsch is an American poet and literary critic.-Early life and education:Kirsch is the son of lawyer, author, and biblical scholar Jonathan Kirsch, and a 1997 graduate of Harvard College.-Career:...
criticized Spellberg and Random House for depriving the Muslim reading public of the freedom to reimagine their religious tradition through the eyes of a novelist. University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
adjunct lecturer Carlin Romano
Carlin Romano
Carlin Romano is a critic-at-large for the The Chronicle of Higher Education and a lecturer in Philosophy and Media Theory at the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg School for Communication...
criticized Spellberg for her "aggressive act" in working to cancel publication, for effectually advocating censorship, and for her "disingenuous" attempts to deny that she had played an instrumental role in the Random House decision.
Spellberg subsequently wrote a letter to the Wall Street Journal contesting Nomani's characterization of her as the "instigator" of the book's cancellation. Spellberg stated that "I felt it was my professional responsibility to counter this novel's fallacious representation of a very real woman's life." However, she insisted that "I do not espouse censorship of any kind, but I do value my right to critique those who abuse the past without regard for its richness or resonance in the present." She also stated that "The author and the press brought me into a process, and I used my scholarly expertise to assess the novel. It was in that same professional capacity that I felt it my duty to warn the press of the novel's potential to provoke anger among some Muslims." Regarding her phone call to Shahed Amanullah, Spellberg said she had only intended to call the book to his attention, and that he had apparently misunderstood her intentions. Spellberg also stated that since the story broke she has received hate mail and been roundly pilloried online, stating that "they are calling me an opponent of free speech, saying I am a supporter of Muslim extremists".
Religious and civil rights
Spellberg has advocated the protection of the civil rights of Americans, telling a seminar audience on "Preventing another September 11," that, "Now more than ever, all of us need to stand together. United is not simply against violence but for the protection of the religions and civil rights of all citizens of this country."Books
- Politics, Gender, and the Islamic Past: The Legacy of 'A'isha Bint Abi Bakr. New York: Columbia University Press, 1994.