Pinocchio converts to Islam

At least in Turkey:

"Pinocchio, Tom Sawyer and other characters have been converted to Islam in new versions of 100 classic stories on the Turkish school curriculum.

'Give me some bread, for Allah's sake,' Pinocchio says to Geppetto, his maker, in a book stamped with the crest of the ministry of education.

'Thanks be to Allah,' the puppet says later.

In The Three Musketeers, D'Artagnan is told that he cannot visit Aramis. The reason would surprise the author, Alexandre Dumas.

An old woman explains: 'He is surrounded by men of religion. He converted to Islam after his illness.'

Tom Sawyer may always have shirked his homework, but he is more conscientious in learning his Islamic prayers. He is given a 'special treat' for learning the Arabic words.

Pollyanna, seen by some as the embodiment of Christian forgiveness, says that she believes in the end of the world as predicted in the Koran.

Heidi, the Swiss orphan girl in the tale by Johanna Spyri, is told that praying to Allah will help her to relax.

Several more books have been altered, including La Fontaine's fables and Victor Hugo's Les Miserables.

The clumsy insertions by Islamic publishing houses have caused controversy in Turkey, which has been a strongly secular state since the 1920s. ..."

What a dark turn the revised book must take when Gepetto turns out to be an infidel, or when Pinocchio discovers the Sharia punishment for lying...

Any thoughts on how Mark Twain would feel about Tom converting to Islam? I'd like to see the Islamic radical versions of "Where the Wild Things Are" (set in the Gaza Strip) or a take on Dr. Seuss, "Oh the Places You'll Blow (Up)."

In fact, I'm looking forward to the Islamic versions of TV shows, like "Sex and the City" where Carrie hogs Manolo Blahnik burqas and Mr. Big lives in a cave on the Pakistan/Afghan border (no reference to my Mr. Big there).

Comments

[Frank]

Imagine a western children's author publishing a book about a Muslim child who decides to abandon Islam for Christianity?

Now imagine the resulting outrage and bloodshed.

That's why we're not just different, but better, yes better, than they are.

[J-P]

Ironically, this will likely lead to the original versions proliferating even more rapidly as they'll now have a sexy "underground" label.

[madmatt]

Oh No Republicans have turned the bible into a pro war manifesto of hatred!

[Just Some Guy]

The Tom Sawyer one may be benign. In Twain's version, Tom gets a special treat/prize by trading trinkets to classmates for tickets that show how many verses of the Bible he has memorized. It's a funny scene that might well be easier for Turkish Islamic students to understand if the Koran, not the Bible, is the source.

[toml]

It's pretty funny, but I'm sure you've also seen some blond, blue-eyed Jesuses. People always want to make everyone more like themselves.

[Mike Brown]

There are differences with the blond hair Jesus'es. The bible never states what he looked like, could have been an albino for all we know.

It's very clear that Tom Sawyer wasn't a Muslim. If you want a story about a mischevious Muslim boy, fine, write a new story. Don't change a classic.

No, people don't always want to make everyone more like themselves. Some people, but not everyone. Besides, if everyone did do that, allthat would mean is that all people are dumb, but doesn't mean it's ok.

[jkoch]

Turkish readers have access to far more translations of foreign works than do Americans. Can many Americans identify even a single story by a Japanese, Indian, Brazilian, or German writer? If a US school assigns a book by a writer espousing a "foreign" religion, you can bet on a parent revolt. Even Twain's works get in trouble for their portrayal of dialect and use of the "N word." Dare biology teachers discuss human origins any more? And, as Katherine Harris will attest, the Almighty will surely publish a people that fails to elect Christian politicians!

The "islamified" translations of certain juvenile classics appear to have been pirate works by a religious publisher without copyright or government approval. By the way "Ilâh" is the most common Turkish word for God. Is a translator supposed to impose some other expression? Should English works refer to YHWH or something?

Both Turkey and the US had the good fortune to be founded by secularists and deists. Too bad their publics have forgotten why disputes of faith are best left out of politics.

[ME]

This is why we should always stress the importance of seperation between church and state:
It's one of the main differences between us and them, and the one reason that we will never have a theocracy of ANY kind (muslim, christian or other) in this country.

Hooray for constitutional principles that protect freedom of expression and belief for everyone!

[A. Nony Moose]

I'm waiting for them to Islamicize Twain's "War Prayer." Heck, they pray it every day already, and with no sense of irony whatsoever.

[Garvin]

I'm a purist when it comes to literature. Established stories should be left as is, or they should be left alone. It really irks me to see classic stories changed to appeal to a particular audience.

These classic stories have stayed with us for a reason. Changing them on a fundamental (or fundamentalist) level just seems wrong. I have a really good example to share -- it concerns The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Real version: Quasimodo dies at the end of the story. His innocence and purity actually brought about his demise.

Disney version: Quasimodo lives on! In fact, his story is so great, it deserves a sequel.

Disney Hunchback II: Quasimodo keeps ringing those church bells. Along the way, he finds true love!

'Islamo-Fascist' version: Quasimodo dies at the end of the story. His pure devotion to Allah brought about his demise.

'Islamo-Fascist' Hunchback II: Quasimodo died, but he was rewarded with 72 virgins.

Don't get me wrong. I really hate it when a classic story is changed to achieve an ideological OR a financial end. It's wrong. It's hijacking culture for a selfish gain.

The original Hunchback taught a lesson -- the world can be cruel and uncaring -- people are motivated by their own selfish interests. How many children think Quasimodo lived happily ever after?

The 'Islamo-Fascists', whether or not you think that term is appropriate or tasteful, aren't the only ones who have done it.

People motivated principally by their own selfish interests have a tendency to change the story over and over again to achieve their own selfish ends.

For the life of me, I can't think of a contemporary example to illustrate the principle in the above paragraph. Everyone has been pretty much above-board since March of 2003.