Books Confiscated At Fair

Eleven books on sexuality were pulled from an annual book fair in Damascus after religious conservatives balked at their content, the pro-government website All4Syria reported on August 7.



A publisher told the website that 2,000 copies of eleven titles were pulled by the ministry of religious endowments because they were deemed religiously and morally offensive. The books addressed issues such as masturbation, women’s sexuality and impotence.



Another publisher told All4syria that the ministry denied responsibility for confiscating the books and that Syria’s grand mufti, Ahmad Hassun, opposed the ban and has ordered an investigation into the matter.



A third publisher said that books on sensitive topics had been confiscated in the past even if they were well-researched and scientific.



"It’s a shame that this happens in Syria, a secular country," said the publisher.



The two-week book fair, which ends on August 15, drew participants from 24 nations and included 35,000 titles.