Early on Thursday, Saudi authorities officially banned novelist Badriyah Al Bishr's latest work of fiction, Thursday's Visitors, after it was deemed "sexually graphic," Gulf News reported.
This came after Saudi tweep, Nawaf Al Mahdi, a reader who had bought a copy of the novel, shared an excerpt from it on Twitter, labeling it "pornographic."
In his tweet, Al Mahdi demanded that popular Saudi book publisher and seller, Jarir, pull the novel from bookshelves. The tweet quickly went viral, causing quite the stir online.
Amid the intense backlash, Jarir announced that it was pulling the novel from its stores.
Soon after, Hani Al Gofaili, spokesman for the kingdom's Ministry of Culture and Information also announced that authorities issued an official ban on the book and launched an investigation into the matter.
Al Bishr is a well-known novelist and columnist "who often focuses on the daily struggles of women in Saudi Arabia in her writings."
Her now-banned novel "chronicles one young woman’s journey of self-discovery through Thursday get-togethers where women share their joys and sorrows."
The entire controversy started with a single tweet
"Dear Jarir Bookstore, how can a novel with such content be sold in the children's section? I was wrong not to have looked into the details before purchasing it, but your mistake is even worse than mine."
The tweet led to a heated online debate
"How could the Ministry of Culture and Information approve the publication of such cheap, pornographic novels...?? Is this called culture?"
Some called on the authorities to punish Al Beshr
"The more important question now is: Does our country consider this a crime or not? I hope the novelist, the book's publisher and distributor are all punished for this."
However, many also defended the novelist
"Where's the issue here? From reading the page this tweep shared I got the idea that the author wants to illustrate a truth that exists in our society. Plus, bold novels are all available online."
And raised this point:
"OK, ban it, we can always download its PDF version. The age of ignorant people deciding what the public can read or not is over. Personally, I focus on reading anything that's banned."
Which eventually led Jarir Bookstore to take action
In their response to Al Mahdi's tweet, Jarir Bookstore wrote:
"We share your concern, we've pulled all copies of the novel from our stores. Thank you for your comment."
Authorities then banned the novel
Soon after the Saudi bookstore pulled the novel, Saudi authorities also decided to take action.
In a tweet he shared on Thursday, Hani Al Gofaili, spokesman for the kingdom's Ministry of Culture and Information, wrote:
"The Ministry of Culture and Information has withdrawn the novel from all stores. The novel was approved for publication under the ministry's former administration. An investigation into the matter will now be launched."