Business Case Studies & Business Publications

Davis Press: Should You Publish Meccan M...

Freeman, R. Edward...

Case

Davis Press: Should You Publish Meccan Madness?

Freeman, R. Edward; Werhane, Patricia H.; Wicks, Andrew C.; Mead, Jenny; Berne, Rosalyn W.; Bassit, Taha; Jilani, Ahsun

E-0421 | Published March 27, 2018 | 9 pages Case

Collection: Darden School of Business

Product Details

You are the owner/editor of your own publishing firm, Davis Press. You encounter a dilemma when, in 2010, you are given the opportunity to publish a novel set in the Islamic holy city of Mecca. Given the angry fallout after the publication of Salman Rushdie's The Satanic Verses, the Iraq War, and the controversy of Qur'an desecration at the US naval base prison at Guantanamo Bay, publishing the novel presents a host of ethical dilemmas. This case discusses the ethics of a free press and challenges the profit motive in the face of jeopardizing political and religious world affairs.