Salman Rushdie

Today is Salman Rushdie’s birthday, and I’m sure it’s a wonderful present to him- certain countries endorse him being killed.

I personally do not have a view on him either way, and as with the others that are to receive knighthoods, do not really care. Who knighthoods are bestowed upon, at this moment in time don’t really bother me. (This post is not on the wrongs and rights of awarding Rushdie a knighthood.) I am too young to remember any of the original big furore over The Satanic Verses. I have never read any of his books, less still The Satanic Verses, so I can’t comment on his skills as an author, or his storylines. I do know others who have read Midnight’s Children, and my mother and one of my closest friends maintain it is one of the most well-written books they have ever read, and both are pretty well-read. I don’t know a single person who has ever read The Satanic Verses though. I vaguely remember a Bremner, Bird and Fortune sketch which mentioned the fatwa on Salman Rushdie, and them going on to argue that fatwas in everyday life would be pretty useful (although not killing ones). He was one of those people whom I’m sure I’ve asked about in the past, but forgot the answer, and whose books I’ve felt I should read.

And then this incident starts. I have to admit its pretty embarrassing explaining to someone that Islam is a peace-loving religion and then reading a headline “Rushdie title 'may spark attacks'”.

For those of you that do not know, (and I doubt any of you are as unclued up about this issues as me but just in case) the low-down of the Salman Rushdie affair (courtesy of Wikipedia and the BBC) is that in 1988 he published a book called The Satanic Verses. The book is described as “a cosmic battle between good and evil, set in contemporary England and combining fantasy, philosophy and farce…. It included an extended section that appeared to denigrate the prophet Muhammad and the Islamic faith.” It is this section that meant many Muslims, most without reading the novel, came to believe that it contained blasphemous references, leading to the book’s banning in several countries. In 1989 Ayatollah Khomeini, issued a fatwa that called for the death of Rushdie and claimed that it was the duty of every Muslim to obey. “A large bounty was offered to anyone who would execute him and the author was forced into hiding, with full-time police protection, a condition that endured for many years.” In July 1991 Hitosh Igarashi, the Japanese translator of the book, wass stabbed to death, and Ettore Capriolo, the Italian translator, was seriously wounded.

The issue has now risen up again as Salman Rushdie is to be awarded a knighthood. This has led Pakistan's national parliament to pass a resolution yesterday condemning the award. Now ain’t no expert on Pakistani politics, but from what I have read and heard of about the unrest in Karachi alone, surely they have more important problems to deal with? Instead Religious Affairs Minister Ejaz-ul-Haq stated “If someone commits suicide bombing to protect the honour of the Prophet Mohammad, his act is justified," he said, according to the translation by the Reuters news agency. "If Britain doesn't withdraw the award, all Muslim countries should break off diplomatic relations."

This type of thing makes me angry for many reasons. Lets’s break it down before my anger just ends up as an unreadable mess (well more-so)
1. It’s a flippin FICTIONAL book. What’s to get so worked up about? There are SO many more things to pay attention to. In Pakistan alone- poverty, UNEMPLOYMENT, disease, the rat children, women’s rights, all that feudal crap, racism, to name but a few. My personal belief is that where people do get worked up, its because they have nothing better to do with their lives. If these people had jobs and cared about their families, they would surely have bigger worries than an English written book, that had this mass hysteria not occurred, most people would not have heard of it anyway.
2. Break off diplomatic relations? Oh that’s a good idea. Let uss all act like we’re four again and when we don’t like what someone does we won’t talk to them. Let’s just alienate ourselves.
3. In this county, I will be mighty annoyed if anyone starts violently protesting. If you live in a democracy, other people expressing their view is a part of it. If this book was that offensive, if one had half a braincell, the author would be ignored until he faded into obscurity and past generations. As it is, he’s just received one hell of a lot of publicity.
4. I seriously can not believe people were killed over this? An innocent translator, who did nothing more than do his job. Is this something to proud of?
5. Let’s end with what a great advertisement this is of the religion. Not. We must remember, despite Islam being the fastest growing religion on Earth, most will never have met a Muslim in the flesh. Therefore the way the Muslim community acts in the news is how Islam will be judged. When it seems that all Muslims do is react against perceived insults, it makes people wonder why the religion can’t tolerate it, and I’m sorry to say it, but if they are all “savages”.

To clarify, I do not mean to belittle Salman Rushdie’s supposed insult to Islam. But I find it hard to believe that it will “encourage people to commit blasphemy against the Prophet Mohammad”. Islam is much stronger than that. Its so much more than that. And it is bloomin about time that the Muslims start rising above, and start acting like that.