Book
Understanding Islam through Hadis
Understanding Islam through Hadis is a book by Ram Swarup. The book, originally published in 1982, was banned for its critique of political Islam.
Description
About the work
Understanding Islam through Hadis is a book by Ram Swarup. The book, originally published in 1982, was banned for its critique of political Islam.
What makes it interesting is that interpretation, devotion, satire, or doctrinal conflict becomes a matter of state administration. As a book, it can be read not only for subject matter but for the way form, tone, and circulation make a text feel dangerous, intimate, or politically usable to anxious officials.
It also matters as part of a wider censorship history in India. The present page is a dossier starter built from source-tracked ban records; the surviving note currently says: The book, originally published in 1982, was banned for its critique of political Islam. More publication history, translations, and close reading can be added later.
Overview
Why it was banned
Understanding Islam through Hadis entered censorship debates as a book associated with doctrine, public controversy, and religion. In the current dossier, the main state objections cluster around religious control and religious offense.
The earliest event currently captured here is 1991 in India, where Government of India or British Indian authorities banned publication, sale, or possession. The book, originally published in 1982, was banned for its critique of political Islam. The book, originally published in 1982, was banned for its critique of political Islam.
This entry is still incomplete: more jurisdictions, court orders, and translated justifications should be added over time.
This page is intentionally incomplete. The ban history is a starter dataset, not a final census of every jurisdiction or decree.
Counter and critical readings
Context, rebuttals, and criticism
- Assassins of the Mind Christopher Hitchens
Frames the Rushdie affair as a test of free speech against violent religious intimidation.
- From Fatwa to Jihad Kenan Malik
Tracks how conflicts over blasphemy, race, and offense evolved after the Rushdie controversy.
- 100 Banned Books: Censorship Histories of World Literature Nicholas J. Karolides, Margaret Bald, and Dawn B. Sova
A compact reference on how censorship systems moved across states, churches, and courts.
- Banned Books: 387 B.C. to 1978 A.D. Anne Lyon Haight
Useful for comparing older obscenity, heresy, and political bans with modern free-speech disputes.
Ban history
Known government actions
| Date | Jurisdiction | Action | Reason | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | India | banned publication, sale, or possession | The book, originally published in 1982, was banned for its critique of political Islam. | The book, originally published in 1982, was banned for its critique of political Islam. |
Sources
Harvested references for this page
- Wikipedia: List of books banned in India reference partial
- Wikipedia REST summary API database partial
- Christopher Hitchens: Assassins of the Mind article partial
- From Fatwa to Jihad book not started
- 100 Banned Books: Censorship Histories of World Literature book partial
- Banned Books: 387 B.C. to 1978 A.D. book partial