BANNED BOOK SUMMARY

The Da Vinci Code BY Brown, Dan

The BBC reported (Thursday, 16 September, 2004, 15:33 GMT 16:33 UK) that "Best-selling book The Da Vinci Code has been banned in Lebanon after complaints it was offensive to Christianity. Catholic leaders called for the book to be withdrawn because of its depiction of Christ marrying Mary Magdalene and fathering a child. Shop owners said security officials had told them to pull French, English and Arabic copies off their shelves."

Father Abdou Abu Kasm, president of Lebanon's Catholic Information Centre, said the contents of the book were "insulting". " There are paragraphs that touch the very roots of the Christian religion... they say Jesus Christ had a sexual relationship with Mary Magdalene, that they had children," he said. "Those things are difficult for us to accept, even if it's supposed to be fiction.

"Christianity is not about forgiveness to the point of insulting Jesus Christ." [My, now that is an intersting interpretation.]

Later, "Mumbai, September 17: THE book has already been banned in Lebanon. Now, the Indian Catholics’ Secular Forum (CSF) has issued a memorandum to Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil, seeking a ban on Dan Brown’s controversial thriller The Da Vinci Code in India as well. "

What is most interesting is that there was much more protest about the movie than about the book. Apparently, people just don't read much. In India even the Muslim's wanted the movie banned because it insulted Jesus - who is one of the prophets, according to the Koran.

2007 Banned in Egypt. The culture minister told parliment, "We ban any book that insults any relgion. We will confiscate this book." Parliment was debating the book at request of several Coptic Christian members who demanded a ban because "It's based on Zionist myth, and it insults the Chrstian religion and Islam." It was also banned in Iran. (source: Marshall University Library)