Salman Rushdie is now recovering from a brutal attack in New York, but Muslims' reputation as a peace-loving people has taken yet another blow.
Thirty-three years after his infamous fatwa published by Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini, someone nearly killed the acclaimed author.
Not to mention, of course, condemning the suspect, Hadi Matar, and those who support this heinous act. Even his own mother distances himself from him, saying he is an extremist.
When this book was first published, it brought back memories of the great fire in his hometown of Bradford.
I was a sorority when I read Rushdie's previous book, Midnight's Children. It's unlike any other book I've ever read, and I loved it.
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TWITTER @HORATIOGATES3)When I heard about his book The Satanic Verses years later, I was quite conflicted. How could a writer of such intelligence, whom I loved so much, who wrote so beautifully and magically, portray the revered Prophet Muhammad so despicably? 35}
Even if Rushdie no longer practices Islam, does he know how much discomfort and hurt his books cause? The fury was palpable enough to get out and burn the book and only escalate the matter. The world media declined and on Valentine's Day 1989 the Ayatollah Fatwa was published.
I had never read the book myself, but it was only years later that I learned it was actually about mental illness. He himself has mental health issues.
Now we return to the discussion of the issue of free speech.
But even in Britain, free speech has never really existed.
In the last few days, controversial comedian Jerry Sudowitz's Edinburgh His Fringe show has been cancelled. why?
Because everyone in the audience knew his comedic kind and probably loved it, but someone found it offensive?
Part No wonder so many Muslims feel that there is a double standard and that freedom of expression is actually a norm of freedom that insults Islam.
