GREEK BAN ON 'BLASPHEMOUS' BOOK

Friday, 10 March, 2000, 14:41 GMT
Greek ban on 'blasphemous' book



"Insult to our faithful": Metropolitan Kallinikos.

A judge in Greece has banned a book after it was condemned by the Greek Orthodox church because of passages about the possible sexual longings of Jesus Christ.
Judge Maria Robbi said she banned sales of the book in the north of the country to prevent outbreaks of violence, after religious zealots threatened to take action against the author and shops selling the book.

The ban applies to provinces around the northern city of Thessaloniki, where Judge Robbi's court has jurisdiction - an area that represents nearly 25% of the country.


A dark side of the Greek moon is revealed

Book's author, Mimis Androulakis
She said the ban would remain in force until 16 May, when a hearing is to be held to consider whether to halt the sale of the best-selling book "M to the Power of N", by former Communist parliamentary deputy Mimis Androulakis.

Mr Androulakis immediately condemned the judge's decision, saying it revealed "a dark side of the Greek moon".

A church spokesman, Metropolitan Kallinikos, said Mr Androulakis had no right "to insult millions of our faithful with what he has said about the leader of our faith."

The book is a series of fictional dialogues between women whose names all begin with the letter M. The central theme is misogyny in various aspects of life, including religion.

One chapter mentions a possible sexual element in the relationship between Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene, a prostitute who became a follower.




Mimis Androulakis

Nearly all political parties, literary societies and scholars have backed the author.

Development Minister Evangelos Venizelos, a leading professor of constitutional law, also questioned the court's jurisdiction to ban the book.

At a preliminary hearing on Wednesday, dozens of black robed priests and monks stormed the court house and Judge Robbi's chambers, rhythmically chanting "blasphemers" and "antichrists" at Androulakis' defence lawyer, Thomas Trikoukis, who was also attacked by some protesters.

One precedent

With one exception, publishers say they cannot recall any book being banned in Greece since the fall of the 1967-74 military dictatorship.

Two years ago, a court banned a dictionary and ordered the author to remove an insulting reference to residents of Thessaloniki.

But the supreme court overturned the ban, saying that constitutional guarantees on free speech did not allow books to be banned or censored.

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