Along with the new name, the indomitable Ministry of Information, MOI, has now a new minister.
Personally, I have decided not to use the new title, which includes the sonorous term ‘Culture,’
until the ministry actually produces something that merits such
high-flying terminology.
The new minister, Iyad Madani, is a journalist, an ex-editor in chief, and an accomplished writer. He was also the Minister of Haj before this current appointment. His credentials are impressive.
What is needed at this time, however, is neither qualification sensitive nor complex enough to warrant the input of committees and over-paid consultants. We basically need some common sense.
To make things easier, we need to think of the final objective of this exercise. This is easy enough: The ministry should shed its perceived and actual role as censor at large, and it should concentrate on culture and art.
There are three tasks that require the new minister’s attention. First, a matter much like a French farce. Say I am a publisher and I want to bring in some copies of a new book to the ministry itself for approval. There is no mechanism to do that. In other words, the book will not be allowed in since all books are treated with suspicion. The books will be taken at the airport and sent to the ministry to be allowed for my personal use but not to be officially imported. The only way to get the new books to the ministry is to smuggle them in. Books have to be smuggled in so one can take them to the ministry. If that is not a farce, I don’t know what is.
Second, there are books approved to be sold in the Kingdom in English but banned in Arabic. I will give an example. “Out in The Blue,” published by Selwa Press, was released in the Kingdom and became the bestselling English book in this country. When the publisher presented the translated version, both copies were banned and withdrawn from circulation. This is a mystery worthy of Agatha Christie yet we only ask for this charade to stop. It is embarrassing.
Third: MOI officials at entry points behave in a very odd way and have an attitude that is beyond reason. Printed matter to them is like poison that has to be confiscated to protect the demented carrier from harming him or herself. In the age of Internet and uncontrollable television, this is redundant if not outright mad.
They will take anything and everything according to their mood and whim and declare it a possibly banned book. It will have to be sent to you know where to be checked.
The MOI itself does not have a list to tell us what is banned and what is not. Instead of employing people going through passengers’ knickers, why don’t they employ them to read all that is published? This is a better pastime and a healthier approach. The list should be published once a month.
It might also be of use to tell them that not every book that has the name Sharon on its cover is written by Ariel Sharon. While at it, the name is used as a first name by women and not men.
We don’t want to cloud the minister’s head with all that can be done to his ministry to make it user friendly. We must keep in mind, however, that the ultimate solution lies in the steps taken in other Arab countries: Shut it down.
