Last Sunday in the Syrian capital Damascus, Finnish novelist Leena Lander held a book signing and reading was interviewed by local television. The subject was her 1991 novel 'The Home of the Dark Butterflies', which was short-listed for the Finlandia Prize and has been made into a film, which premieres in January.

Excerpts of the book were published in a Syrian newspaper. That set off a chain of events that led to the cancellation of Lander's appearance in Syria's second-largest city, Aleppo.

"Somebody went and complained to the religious authorities, the religious authorities complained to the mayor of the city and everybody went out against the book before even reading it," explains the book's publisher, Ziad Mouna of Cadmus Press.

It remains unclear what parts of the book worried the mufti in Aleppo. The book is about neglected children and a home for juvenile delinquents, but also includes a brief sexual relationship between a young man and an older woman.

Approved by Censors

In Syria, as elsewhere in the Arab world, books must be approved before publication by a censorship board.

"When we decide to publish a book we would know it advance whether it will be accepted or rejected," says Mouna. "In this book there isn't much sex, there's very, very little compared with Arabic books that are published now, it's really harmless."

Lander's book was published in Lebanon and received a normal publication permit in Syria. Lander herself was shocked that a comment by a local mufti would cause cancellation of the rest of her visit to the country.