[Nesacat]

Censorship is becoming an increasing problem here in the East with books and magazines being either defaced or totally removed from circulation for a whole host of usually incomprehensible reasons. The most reason victim being latest issue of The Economist with one article being torn out (Jinn - Born of Fire, which is about the belief among Muslims in Somalia and Afghanistan in the esistence of jinn) and another article having sections blacked out (A child of Bethlehem - No end of history; an excerpt about Muslim and Christian women visiting a shrine related to the Blessed Virgin Mary has been obliterated with black ink).

The same happens to images in other magazines. They are either torn or blacked out. The images run the gamut of women in fashion spreads to those of temples or statues or images of paintings in art galleries.

As far as I can see all these books and magazines are meant for a mature audience. These people are more than capable of, as Curt said, choosing not to buy something if it offends them personally. If children are picking these books up then it's something parents need to look into not the government through censorship.

There will always be someone, somewhere who is offended even if the woman was in a Victorian ball gown. If all artists and writers succumbed to this kind of pressure then all art and writing would be devoid of vibrancy or colour or anything at all that makes it a unique statement that manages to speak to people all across the world. And that would be the worst tragedy. I'd just ignore everyone all the self-appointed moral police and go ahead with you feel best reflects the ideas and concepts your magazine is trying to convey.