"country has not forgotten the vow to kill him. He was also quoted saying, ""It's reached the point where it's a piece of rhetoric rather than a real threat"". One of the immediate consequences of the fatwa was a worsening of Islamic-Western relations. Rushdie lamented that the controversy fed the Western stereotype of ""the backward, cruel, rigid Muslim, burning books and threatening to kill the blasphemer"", while another British writer compared the Ayatollah Khomeini ""with a familiar ghost from the past – one of those villainous Muslim clerics, a Faqir of Ipi or a mad Mullah, who used to be"
"The Satanic Verses controversy ""The Satanic Verses"" controversy, also known as the Rushdie Affair, was the heated and frequently violent reaction of Muslims to the publication of Salman Rushdie's novel ""The Satanic Verses"", which was first published in the United Kingdom in 1988 and inspired in part by the life of Muhammad. Many Muslims accused Rushdie of blasphemy or unbelief and in 1989 the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini of Iran issued a fatwa ordering Muslims to kill Rushdie. Numerous killings, attempted killings, and bombings resulted from violent Muslims over the novel. The Iranian government backed the fatwa against Rushdie until 1998,"
"controversies raised in the non-Muslim world, especially over depictions of Muhammad, questionning issues relating to the religious offense to minorities in secular countries. A key case was the 1989 fatwa against English author Salman Rushdie for his 1988 book entitled ""The Satanic Verses"", the title of which refers to an account that Muhammad, in the course of revealing the Quran, received a revelation from Satan and incorporated it therein until made by Allah to retract it. Several translators of his book into foreign languages have been murdered. In the UK, many supporters of Salman Rushdie and his publishers advocated unrestricted"
"religious duty and that the result is a marginal issue?"" In an interview with Gareth Porter, Mohsen Rafighdoost, the eight-year war time minister of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, disclosed how Khomeini had opposed his proposal for beginning working on both nuclear and chemical weapons by a fatwa which had never been made public in details of when and how it was issued. In early 1989, Khomeini issued a fatwā calling for the assassination of Salman Rushdie, an India-born British author. Rushdie's book, ""The Satanic Verses"", published in 1988, was alleged to commit blasphemy against Islam and Khomeini's juristic ruling"
"convert to Christianity. Hindus and Christians had respected his oratory skills and arguments until then. But now, they rejected Deedat and united with other South African Muslim organisations in denouncing his attacks on other religions. Two years later, Jews joined the criticism after Deedat published ""Arab and Israel – Conflict or Conciliation?"" In 1988, following the publication of Salman Rushdie’s fictional work ""The Satanic Verses"", Deedat supported the fatwā of the Ayatollah Khomeini calling for Rushdie's death. He said that Rushdie ""is a hypocrite and has blasphemed holy personalities. He should not be pardoned."" In his last tour to Australia,"
"Salman Rushdie provides an example of ""takfir"" that featured prominently in Western media. Rushdie went into hiding after Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa in 1989, officially declaring him a ""kafir"" who should be executed for his book ""The Satanic Verses"", which is perceived to contain passages that draw into question the basis of Islam. Similar cases have occurred in Egypt: for example, Nasr Abu Zayd was accused of apostasy following his work on Islamic sources, describing the Qur'an as a historical document. During the Algerian Civil War of 1991-2002 the Islamist insurgent group the GIA (Armed Islamic Group of Algeria)"
"Verses"", a novel written by Salman Rushdie became controversial in the 1990s due to the allegedly inflammatory and insulting text about Islamic prophet Muhammad, his wives and the ""Companions"" causing worldwide protests. The Indian government banned the book fearing protests from politicians and religious clerics. Shahabuddin claimed that the book was an ""indecent vilification of the Holy Prophet"". He also felt that the book would be rejected by any civilised society. ""BBC"" wrote that he was instrumental in getting the book banned in India. Rushdie hailed Shahabuddin and Khurshed Alam Khan extremists for opposing the book. On 13 October 1988,"
"Satanic Verses"". The book was widely praised in the immediate aftermath of the controversy. While condemning the Ayatollah Khomeini's threats against Rushdie, Webster also tried to explain the hurt ""The Satanic Verses"" caused Muslims and argued that we should not arbitrarily defend the liberty to publish books that may cause distress to minorities or increase racial tension. Webster noted that he named the book after the fourth section of ""The Crime of Blasphemy"", a pamphlet issued by the International Committee for the Defence of Salman Rushdie and his Publishers, and that his work is influenced by historians Karen Armstrong and"
"mental suffering. A Brief History of Blasphemy A Brief History of Blasphemy: Liberalism, Censorship and the Satanic Verses is a 1990 book by Richard Webster, in which the author discusses the controversy over Salman Rushdie's novel ""The Satanic Verses"" (1988). Webster critiques the freedom to blaspheme, and argues against ""The Crime of Blasphemy"" (which advocated the abolition of Britain's blasphemy laws ""without replacement""). Webster notes that he named the book after the fourth section of ""The Crime of Blasphemy"", a pamphlet issued by the International Committee for the Defence of Salman Rushdie and his Publishers, and that his work is"
"the 1970s and 1980s. Drawing inspiration from the Indian independence movement, the black power movement, and the anti-apartheid movement, young British Pakistani and British Bangladeshi activists began a number of anti-racist Asian youth movements in the 1970s and 1980s, including the Bradford Youth Movement in 1977, the Bangladeshi Youth Movement following the murder of Altab Ali in 1978, and the Newham Youth Movement following the murder of Akhtar Ali Baig in 1980. The publication of Salman Rushdie's novel ""The Satanic Verses"" in 1988 caused major controversy. A number of Muslims in Britain condemned the book for blasphemy. On 2 December"
"Knighthood of Salman Rushdie In mid-June 2007 Salman Rushdie, the British Indian novelist and author of the controversial novel ""The Satanic Verses"", was created a Knight Bachelor by Queen Elizabeth II. This action brought much controversy around the world in many countries with Muslim majority populations. Soon after the news of the knighthood was released protests against the honour were held in Malaysia and in Pakistan where effigies of the writer were publicly burnt. On 19 June 2007, governments in both Pakistan and Iran summoned their British ambassadors to officially protest against the award. While many groups and individuals have"
"the relations between the two countries. Khomeini, the spiritual leader of Iran at that time, declared a death sentence for Salman Rushdie for certain anti-Islamic remarks in his book ""The Satanic Verses"" published in 1988. The Saudi government, which took this religious decree against Rushdie as an act aimed at gaining Muslim sympathy across the world, came up with its own verdict of making Rushdie appear before an Islamic tribunal before he could be delivered a death sentence. When Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990, Iran criticised and condemned the invasion. This stance from Iran, in favor of the Kuwaitis, and"
"counterparts of Indian and Sri Lankan origin are more religiously diverse, with 55% Hindus, 29% Sikhs, and 15% Muslims. British Gujaratis are predominantly Hindu, belonging to various caste organizations, with large minorities of Muslims, Jains, and smaller numbers of Christians and Zoroastrians. Notable religious buildings are the East London Mosque, London Central Mosque, Birmingham Central Mosque, Baitul Futuh, BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir London, Bradford Lakshmi Narayan Hindu Temple, Shikharbandi Jain Derasar in Potters Bar, Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha in Southall and Guru Nanak Darbar Gurdwara in Gravesend. The publication of Salman Rushdie's novel ""The Satanic Verses"" in 1988 caused"
"A Brief History of Blasphemy A Brief History of Blasphemy: Liberalism, Censorship and the Satanic Verses is a 1990 book by Richard Webster, in which the author discusses the controversy over Salman Rushdie's novel ""The Satanic Verses"" (1988). Webster critiques the freedom to blaspheme, and argues against ""The Crime of Blasphemy"" (which advocated the abolition of Britain's blasphemy laws ""without replacement""). Webster notes that he named the book after the fourth section of ""The Crime of Blasphemy"", a pamphlet issued by the International Committee for the Defence of Salman Rushdie and his Publishers, and that his work is influenced by"
"taken place. Justifications offered for the alleged executions vary, but one of the most common theories advanced is that they were in retaliation for the 1988 attack on the western borders of Iran by the PMOI Mujahedin. However, this does not fully account for the targeting of other leftist groups who opposed the Mujahedin invasion. Salman Rushdie is a prominent contemporary figure accused of apostasy. In 1989 a fatwa was issued by Ayatollah Khomeini, the ruler of Iran at the time, calling for the death of Salman Rushdie for the blasphemy of authoring the book ""The Satanic Verses"". Hossein Soodmand,"
"any other faith group). When asked if they believed that their faith community was more prone to negative behavior than other faith communities, 30% of Muslims agreed, again, a higher percentage than other faith groups. Islamophobia has become a topic of increasing sociological and political importance. According to Benn and Jawad, Islamophobia has increased since Ayatollah Khomeini's 1989 fatwa inciting Muslims to attempt to murder Salman Rushdie, the author of ""The Satanic Verses"", and since the 11 September attacks (in 2001). Anthropologist Steven Vertovec writes that the purported growth in Islamophobia may be associated with increased Muslim presence in society"
"daily newspaper that discussed the limits on the Supreme Leader's powers, the rights of unorthodox clerics and groups to air their views, the right of women to divorce, and whether laughing and clapping were un-Islamic. On 27 November 1999, the Special Court for the Clergy found Nouri guilty, and sentenced him to five years' imprisonment and a fine. Nouri was released on 5 November 2002. In 1988, in the United Kingdom, Salman Rushdie published ""The Satanic Verses"", a novel. Muslims in the United Kingdom accused Rushdie of blasphemy. Some Muslims called upon the Crown to prosecute Rushdie but it did"
"""one of the most significant events in postwar literary history."" Even before the publication of ""The Satanic Verses"", the books of Salman Rushdie had stoked controversy. Rushdie saw his role as a writer ""as including the function of antagonist to the state"". His second book ""Midnight's Children"" angered Indira Gandhi because it seemed to suggest ""that Mrs. Gandhi was responsible for the death of her husband through neglect"". His 1983 ""roman à clef"" ""Shame"" ""took an aim on Pakistan, its political characters, its culture and its religion... [It covered] a central episode in Pakistan's internal life, which portrays as a"
"in London. Ayatollah Khomeini condemned the book with a fatwa in 1989. ""The Satanic Verses"" controversy led to Muslim men first in Bolton and then in Bradford organised book-burnings. The 7 July 2005 London bombings were a series of coordinated blasts that hit the public transport system during the morning rush hour, killing 52 people and also the four bombers. The latter were British Muslims, three of Pakistani and one of Jamaican heritage. They were apparently motivated by Britain's involvement in the Iraq War and other conflicts. In March 2010, a Fatwa against terrorism was pronounced by a leading Sufi"
"novel ""The Satanic Verses"" by Salman Rushdie which it called an ""anti-Islamic"" work that ""contains filthy remarks and ridicules fundamental beliefs of Islam"". A leader of the Japanese association of Pakistanis joined the condemnations of Rushdie, saying he deserved to die because of the book. Subsequently, the Japanese translator Hitoshi Igarashi was found slain at a university northeast of Tokyo on 12 July 1991. Japan has some Urdu-language media aimed at Pakistanis, such as the freely distributed ""Pak Shimbun"", as well as other Japanese-language publications targeted towards Muslims at large. Pakistanis in Japan As early as 1950, only three years"
"to death). The book was banned in India as hate speech directed towards a specific religious group. ""The Satanic Verses"" consists of a frame narrative, using elements of magical realism, interlaced with a series of sub-plots that are narrated as dream visions experienced by one of the protagonists. The frame narrative, like many other stories by Rushdie, involves Indian expatriates in contemporary England. The two protagonists, Gibreel Farishta and Saladin Chamcha, are both actors of Indian Muslim background. Farishta is a Bollywood superstar who specialises in playing Hindu deities. (The character is partly based on Indian film stars Amitabh Bachchan"
"accused by a neighbor of stating that he supported British writer Salman Rushdie, author of ""The Satanic Verses"". Lower appeals courts upheld the conviction. However, before the Pakistan Supreme Court, his lawyer was able to prove that the accuser had used the conviction to force family off their land and then acquired control of the property. has been released. In October 2001, gunmen on motorcycles opened fire on a Protestant congregation in the Punjab, killing 18 people. The identities of the gunmen are unknown. Officials think it might be a banned Islamic group. In March 2002, five people were killed"
"moved away from a crime against God and toward something more temporal. Today we are concerned for our pain and sometimes, for other people's. Blasphemy has become an offence against the faithful – in much the same way as pornography is an offence against the innocent and the virtuous. Given this meaning, blasphemy is an ecumenical crime and so it is not surprising ... that Christians and Jews should join Muslims in calling Salman Rushdie's [book] a blasphemous book. Some rabbis, such as Immanuel Jakobovits, chief rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth, opposed the book's publication. The"
"the prayer meeting breaks up"". He discusses the 1989 fatwa issued on author and friend Salman Rushdie by the Ayatollah Khomeini because of the contents of Rushdie's book ""The Satanic Verses"". He criticises several public figures for laying the blame for the incident on Rushdie himself. He also writes about the events following the September 11 attacks, describing how religion, particularly major religious figures, allowed matters to ""deteriorate in the interval between the removal of the Taliban and the overthrow of Saddam Hussein"". Hitchens discusses the prohibition on eating pigs (""porcophobia"" as Hitchens calls it) in Judaism, also adopted by"
"would not have dared to do so. I am sure there are millions of Muslims who are ready to give their lives to defend our prophet's honour and we have to be ready to do anything for that."" In 1990, soon after the publication of ""The Satanic Verses"", a Pakistani film entitled ""International Gorillay"" (""International Guerillas"") was released that depicted Rushdie as a villain plotting to cause the downfall of Pakistan by opening a chain of casinos and discos in the country; he is ultimately killed at the end of the movie. The film was popular with Pakistani audiences, and"
"The Rushdie Affair: The Novel, the Ayatollah, and the West The Rushdie Affair: The Novel, the Ayatollah, and the West is a book written by historian Daniel Pipes, published in 1990. It focuses on events surrounding ""The Satanic Verses"". The afterword was written by Koenraad Elst. The first part of the book describes ""The Satanic Verses"" and Ayatollah Khomeini's edict, explaining why Rushdie's book became a controversy . The second part describes responses to the text and criticizes censorship of the book in some countries. Edward Mortimer, in ""The New York Times"", called the book ""an extremely well-written and clear"
"on Salman Rushdie and his book ""The Satanic Verses"", Walter (along with William McIlroy) re-formed The Committee Against Blasphemy Law. It issued a ""Statement Against Blasphemy Law"", signed by more than 200 public figures. Walter and Barbara Smoker were attacked while counter-demonstrating during a Muslim protest against the book in May 1989. Walter's book ""Blasphemy Ancient and Modern"" put the Rushdie controversy into historical context. Walter also served as company secretary of G. W. Foote & Co., publishers of ""The Freethinker"", and was a Vice-President of the National Secular Society. Walter occasionally wrote or spoke about how secular humanists might"
"Ayub Masih, a Christian, was convicted of blasphemy and sentenced to death in 1998. He was accused by a neighbor of stating that he supported British writer Salman Rushdie, author of ""The Satanic Verses"". Lower appeals courts upheld the conviction. However, before the Pakistan Supreme Court, his lawyer was able to prove that the accuser had used the conviction to force Masih's family off their land and then acquired control of the property. Masih has been released. On September 22, 2006, a Pakistani Christian named Shahid Masih was arrested and jailed for allegedly violating Islamic ""blasphemy laws"" in the country"
"verses). However, the narrator reveals to the reader that these disputed verses were actually from the mouth of the Archangel Gabriel. The book was banned in many countries with large Muslim communities (13 in total: Iran, India, Bangladesh, Sudan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Thailand, Tanzania, Indonesia, Singapore, Venezuela, and Pakistan). In response to the protests, on 22 January 1989 Rushdie published a column in ""The Observer"" that called Muhammad ""one of the great geniuses of world history,"" but noted that Islamic doctrine holds Muhammad to be human, and in no way perfect. He held that the novel is not"
"not a criminal offence. In November 1988, it was also banned in Bangladesh, Sudan, and South Africa. By December 1988, it was also banned in Sri Lanka. In Britain on 2 December 1988, 7,000 Muslims in the town of Bolton staged the first ever demonstration against ""The Satanic Verses"". After the Friday prayers, a certain section of the congregation marched from the Zakariyya Jame Masjid to the town centre and then burned the book. The organisers claimed ""It was a peaceful protest, and we burned the book to try and attract public attention"". The City of Bradford gained international attention"
"is also the founder and chairman of the ""Small Kindness"" charity, which initially assisted famine victims in Africa and now supports thousands of orphans and families in the Balkans, Indonesia, and Iraq. He served as chairman of the charity Muslim Aid from 1985 to 1993. In 1989 following an address by Islam to students at London's Kingston University, where he was asked about the fatwa calling for the killing of Salman Rushdie, author of the novel ""The Satanic Verses"", Islam made a series of comments that appeared to show his support for the fatwa. He released a statement the following"
"and had their careers ruined during the era of McCarthyism and the Second Red Scare, or even killed like Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. The McCarthyites 'never produced a single Communist spy whose guilt was proved in court.' In 1989, Ayatollah Khomeini, supreme leader of Iran, pronounced a death sentence by fatwa on Salman Rushdie and anyone assisting publication of his book, ""The Satanic Verses""; 'I call on all Muslims wherever they may be in the world to kill them without delay'. the Fatwa was condemned for violating national sovereignty, freedom of speech, and the Muslim principle of fiqh. In the"
"""The Satanic Verses"" in 1989. Webster has been credited by the novelist J. M. Coetzee with showing that ""Rushdie has been made to stand for an entire intellectual establishment"" that compounded the outrage ""The Satanic Verses"" caused to Muslims by celebrating it. His criticism of ""The Crime of Blasphemy"" (which advocated the abolition of Britain's blasphemy laws ""without replacement"") is seen as convincing by academic Jim McGuigan. French author Patrice Dartevielle described Webster's work as ""anti-liberal"" and condemned support for ""repressive legislation"" (i.e. new or renewed blasphemy laws), while also acknowledging that Webster's concern about Muslims was ""noble"". Rowan Williams,"