Author Sherry Jones said she had no concerns for personal safety and would go ahead with appearances in London. (James Snook/Associated Press)

Three men have been charged after the office of the British publisher of the controversial novel The Jewel of Medina was firebombed Saturday.

Martin Rynja, who owns London-based Gibson Square, says he plans to go ahead with publishing the novel, based on the life of the Prophet Muhammad's favourite wife, on Oct. 30.

The New York offices of publisher Beaufort Book, which has bought the rights to The Jewel of Medina in the U.S., were closed Monday as a precaution.

The bomb was placed through a letter slot in Rynja's north London home, which doubles as the office of Gibson Square.

Police had the home under surveillance and broke down the door to put out the fire with the help of firefighters.

Three men were arrested on suspicion "of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism," the police said.

Damage was limited and nobody was hurt in the blaze caused by the firebomb.

A U.S. imprint of publisher Random House cancelled plans to publish The Jewel of Medina in August after it was warned the book could inflame Muslim militants.

U.S. author Sherry Jones said her novel, written from the point of view of Muhammad's third wife Aisha, is meant to be a portrayal of a "wonderful heroine who overcame obstacles to become a prominent figure in Islam."

In an interview with the Guardian in London, she hailed Rynja as a courageous publisher and said she still planned to travel to Britain to promote the book.

She said she was not concerned for her safety.

"There is no indication this is the beginning of a larger movement ... It doesn't seem to me from where I sit that this was an actual assassination attempt," Jones told the Guardian.

Since the Random House cancellation, plans to publish the book have since been announced in 15 countries, including Spain, Germany, Italy, Brazil and Hungary.

Beaufort Books said The Jewel of Medina has already been sent to bookstores in the U.S. for an Oct. 15 publishing date.