Book News
Lebanon bans Brown's Da Vinci Code
Monday 20 September 2004
Bookstores said that security authorities had told them to take French, English and Arabic copies off their shelves.
Brown's fast-paced thriller portrays Catholic Church leaders as covering up the truth about the Holy Grail, which, according to 'The Da Vinci Code', is Mary Magdalene herself.
The Catholic Information Centre, which speaks for Lebanon's Catholic community, recommended that it be banned.
"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," the centre's president, Father Abdou Abu Kasm, told Reuters.
Brown's book has sold more than 7.5 million copies worldwide and is to be made into a film with Ron Howard directing.
Arab publishers, Beirut-based Arab Scientific Publishers, said that the Arabic version of the book had only been released about ten days ago but was already proving popular.
Click here for Terms of use
Top 10 Most Read
Must Watch TV
-
- The Late Late Show
You can be guaranteed that Ryan Tubridy will host a stellar line-up of high-profile guests, current social issues will get an airing and he'll introduce the very best in all-round entertainment, plus a fabulous prize for someone at home! What more could you ask for from your Friday night viewing?
-
- Who Knows Ireland Best?
Derek Mooney hosts as two teams compete to see who is most in touch and who has their finger on the pulse. Points are awarded for being in agreement with the majority of a survey of 1,000 people across the country. This week, three agricultural consultants (Tom Dawson, Tipperary; Julie Roche, Cork; and Mike Brady, Cork) go head-to-head with three auctioneers (Nora Meaney, Sharon O'Leary and Maura Fenlon, all from Carlow) to see who is more in tune with the nation.
-
- The Big C
As the rest of the neighbourhood gets ready for Hallowe'en, Cathy prepares to start a clinical trial she hopes will cure her cancer. Yet just when Cathy needs him, Paul has to deal with a series of problems at work. And as they are arriving at the hospital, Cathy's search for a parking spot ends with her harmlessly hitting another patient with her car. Meanwhile, as Adam grows increasingly agitated by his mom's illness, Sean's Hallowe'en plans lead him to suspect that Marlene's ghost is haunting his house.
-
- Hustle
Albert decides to pay a nostalgic visit to an old haunt, only to find it's been pulled down by ruthless property tycoon and former '80s game show host, Dale Ridley (played by Mark Williams) in this week's episode. Posing as international businessmen, the team lure Dale into a scam, convincing him to purchase the television studios that fired him in his showbiz heyday on their behalf. Will the temptation to get revenge on his old employers be enough to trick the greedy entrepreneur?
-
- Safari Vet School
Thirty-two vet students are at one of the toughest vet schools in the world in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. Under the guiding hand of Chief Vet, Dr Will Fowlds, the students tackle everything from lions to rhinos to giraffes and elephants. In tonight's episode, TV vet Steve Leonard who presents the show is pushed to his limits when he's left in charge of 16 vet students and a hall of 100 barking dogs while Cambridge student Nadia gets a second chance at being a team leader.