Egypt Bans Import, Sale Of Book Criticizing Hosni Mubarak's Government

July 25, 2008 6:21 a.m. EST

Cairo, Egypt (AHN) - Egypt has banned a book that criticizes Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's government. "Inside Egypt: Land of the Pharaohs on the Brink of a Revolution" written by John Bradley, has been banned from the North African nation due to its criticism of Mubarak's rule. Publisher Palgrave Macmillan said that government censors banned the book, despite advance orders and distribution plans. The American University (AU) bookstore in Cairo ordered 15 copies of the book, but the order was canceled after government censors prohibited the book from being imported or sold in Egypt, according to Mark Linz, head of AU in Cairo's publishing house.

The Ministry of Foreign affairs refused to comment on the decision when approached for a statement. A Palgrave Macmillan spokesman said Bradley describes Mubarak's regime as a "ruthless military dictatorship." Egypt has been cracking down on intellectual dissidents and this is yet another attempt to quell opposition, the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information said.