Horus Gilgamesh is the author of the Awkward Moments (Not Found In Your Average) Children’s Bible, which documents many of the Bible’s little-known verses.

After writing that book and a sequel, he decided to do something *really* blasphemous: create a similar book focusing on the Qur’an.

Unfortunately, the Awkward Moments (Not Found In Your Average) Kid’s Koran won’t be coming out anytime soon since he’s decided to pull the plug on the project:

After a great deal of consideration and wise counsel, I’ve decided to cancel a controversial project we’ve been secretly working on for the past year. Why? Because of a certain group of fringe maniacal “radical” bullies who equate the transfer of lead and pigments into shapes on paper as blasphemy — punishable by death. I’m quite unhappy to be forced into making this decision and would like to state emphatically that this project is not being cancelled out of any sort of respect for an irrational ancient religion that threatens to silence opposition with death. No, it is being cancelled because of very rational fears brought on by the reality that such threats are still carried out in 2015 — in the light of day, right under the noses of a modern society. Some things never change, I guess…

I reached out to Horus for more specifics: Did he receive some sort of threat? (It wouldn’t be the first time.)

That’s not the case at all. The problem is that the book was nearing completion earlier this year when the Charlie Hebdo attacks occurred. Because two ex-Muslims working on the project got understandably spooked at that point (their lives could be in danger if they’re found to be associated with the project), the release of the book was pushed back. Last month, following the violence at the Draw Muhammad exhibit in Texas, they really pulled back.

He wrote on his website (emphasis his),

So, congratulations, Islam! You’ve managed to oppress yet another infidel into silent submission thanks your religion’s all-too-typical heavy-handed scare tactics. In doing so, you aren’t doing yourself any favors, but simply creating new enemies — those who believe in freedom from the dangerous oppressive religions that continue to impede society today.

For the time being, he has no plans to release the book in any other way — not in a different format or under a different name.

Remember that the focus of the book isn’t to mock the Qur’an, but to quote it directly (with illustrations). And yet that wasn’t a risk he was willing to take in this climate.



