Who's Afraid of Salman Rushdie? 

My most recent experience taking in so delightful an essay came from the last time I picked "Arguably" off my shelf and absorbed something new from Hitchens himself. Really, thanks for a great essay. Midnight's Children, still resting on my desk from a recent read as I type, was absolutely lovely, and I read The Satanic Verses a couple of years ago. I'm very interested in picking up Knife when I get a chance, and very glad to see Rushdie back interviewing and seemingly well!

It took me years to get around to reading The Satanic Verses. I thought it would be obtuse. My first Rushdie book was Quichotte and I was impressed. I figured I'd just get it over with and read The Satanic Verses, but from the first page I was enchanted... he really is a great storyteller. The book is really about trying to fit in to society, finding your place in the world, wrestling with different versions of yourself, those kinds of things. It is an entertaining yarn and people should actually read it. It's one of my favourite books I've ever read.

A great lecture

I don't think anyone is afraid of salman Rushdie. Salman Rushdie will be stroking his own rod while thinking about his own body, if he assumes that anyone is afraid of him. On contrary and objectively, it is Salman Rushdie, who is afraid of those other people. To begin with, I don't think his books are that great on their literary merit. (And I have read all of them).His ascent to herosim, is more because of the political implications of his life journey rather than his literary merit and how well it fits into liberal-secular propaganda of the west. Secondly, it is not his challenges to orthodoxy of religion that bought attacks on him, infact he doesn't do that directly. And his critique of religion, as much as there is, is not something that hasn't been presented before in the history of islam, and its polemical critiques go back to its origin, both within and from outside. To put it simply, I don't think anyone is afraid of him, angry: Yes, offended by him:yes . Now I don't think being offended by someone or being angry at someone is same as being afraid of someone. And he did offend sensibilities of one-fourth of world population by using crass and abhorant language for symbols held sacred, holy and divine. I would consider him too naieve for his own bad, if he didn't know he was offending one-fouth of world population. NOW I DON'T THINK, WEST HAS A DIVINE RIGHT TO TELL THE WORLD WHAT SHOULD OFFEND THEM AND HOW MUCH IT SHOULD OFFEND THEM. Yes, somethings will sometimes get fatwa on your head. You should think about it before doing that thing. Lol. A joke deemed sexist or racist can make you loose your job and your reputation and everything you have achieved. But an abhorant and outright crass caricature of something held divine and holy IS FREEDOM OF SPEECH. Tell me more "Mr. divine right holding white man".

İ think İslam says it best i can't recall the exact quote by the prophet but it has this morning (one word in the right context can be more violent and result in more death than a thousand swords given to the most evil army) "The word İslam could be used to provoke death " "İts not about what you say but how you say it " "İts not about the the ideology/religion but what you and your audience think of the ideology/audience " "You can always find a group of criminals that go under an ideology/religion" "İf you are good enough at public speak you can say extreme ideas in the right way just like Hitler" "İts only those that look at facts not only listen to propaganda may understand an ideology"

I am reading Satanic Verses. Very wit and thought provoking. But I am sad to consider that, due to the presence of religion in western societies, the answer to censorship violence from Islam theocracies is astonishingly weak. I better response would be to order a copy of the book to every public library in response to the fatwa, or make the book readable for free, on every public school of mandatory in universities. In this way next time some theocracy thinks to close the mouth with fatwa will maybe consider that the consequences would be spread everywhere the words of the hated author.

Isalm... the answer is Islam.