THE showdown between the Government and a group of lawyers, who balk at the publication of a classic book of tales of the Arabian nights, is intensifying after a recent official declaration that the Government would reprint other editions of the book in the near future. Officials from the State-owned General Authority for the Centres of Culture said they would include the book in their new budget and called it a work of “human heritage” that should be presented to readers as it is. “This book is a symbol of human heritage at its best,” said Ahmed Megahid, the Chairman of the authority. “These lawyers don't speak for the whole of Egypt,” he added. A group of lawyers started legal proceedings against the General Authority for the Centres of Culture few days ago for reprinting ‘The Thousand Nights The lawyers have even called for putting several officials, including Megahid himself, in jail for reprinting the book, which according to them, “contains vivid descriptions” that harm the sensitivities of conservative Muslims. A great classic of world literature, ‘The Thousand Nights and One Night' is familiar to millions over the world through the tales of the Arabian nights – Schehrezade, Sindbad, Harun, al-Rashid, Aladdin, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves. By its enthralling power of narrative, the book's absorbing stories tell of a world of magical beauty, of the East and its enchantments, and of an art of the living. Calls for confiscating the book have alarmed human rights activists, including the Arab Network for Human Rights, which lashed out at the Egyptian Government for allowing the lawyers to launch the legal proceedings. In a recent statement, the network said such calls contradicted freedom of expression and throttled innovation. “Egypt's Culture Minister shouldn't stay silent, while freedom of expression is violated every now and then in this country,” said Gamal Eid, the chief of the network. Calls for banning works of art on moral or religious grounds have become so common in Egypt these days, some observers say. A few months ago, the courts were looking into a complaint by a police officer against a book that contained caricatures, the officer called “immoral”. The book was banned and its author was fined. Months earlier, a literary magazine was closed down because it published a poem that was deemed “blasphemous” by some clerics. Some people attribute this rising level of intolerance to art to the increasing power of religious fundamentalism in Egypt, a country that nurtures a moderate version of Islam, but has always been a hot bed for radical Islamist organisations. ‘The Thousand Nights and One Night' has been the target of scorn for many radical Egyptians for years. In 1998, a group of clerics launched similar legal proceedings against the book and called for banning it. The courts ruled for the book and also called it a work of “human heritage”. This time, however, readers do not seem to be willing to give up their favourite book easily. All copies of ‘The Thousand Nights and One Night' were sold in a matter of 48 hours after the suit against it was filed, according to the General Authority for the Palaces of Culture. “This shows that this country is a place for many open-minded people,” Megahid said. “Humanity can't afford losing parts of this great work,” he added.
