Salman Rushdie & the ‘Fatwa of Death’: Can he ever escape the fatwa?

Salman Rushdie & the ‘Fatwa of Death’

KAKALI DAS

Salman Rushdie, noted award winning and controversial author, was attending an event in New York.

Suddenly, a man jumps onto the stage and attacks Rushdie; people could not figure out if it was punching or repeated stabbing.

The author suffered three stab wounds to his neck, four stab wounds to his stomach, puncture wounds to his right eye and chest, and a laceration on his right thigh. Raw mobile footage shows everyone taken aback by the attack. America is not new to ambush like this.

Fortunately, there was a doctor in the audience who stabilised Rushdie. He was alive and airlifted to the nearest facilities. Preliminary report from doctors say that Salman may lose an eye. Since, the author is 75 years old, the attack has damaged his liver, nerves in the arm as reported. The latest report by his wife says that he can finally exhale, and is finally awake and ‘articulate’ in his conversations with the investigators.

Salman Rushdie & the ‘Fatwa of Death’: Can he ever escape the fatwa?

Who attacked Rushdie and why?

Police captured the 24-year-old attacker within minutes. He wore an army style uniform and donned a buzz cut. Law enforcement agencies reported that the name of the attacker is HadiMatar, 24-year-old from New Jersey. His social media account reveals he was sympathetic to Shia extremism and causes of the Islamic revolutionary guard (Iran’s top body). Some images on social media showed slain leader QasemSoleimani.

So his connection is to Iran, if social media details are correct. However, Iran denies involvement but justifies Salman Rushdie’s attack.

What was his motive behind the attack beside Shia extremism or sympathies for Iran?

The fatwa against Rushdie may have played a role. What is saddening is that fatwa is 33 years old, and the attacker is 24, so almost a decade older fatwa is. The leader who issued fatwa against Rushdie is no more. It was announced that there was no need to ambush Rushdie, but fatwa was not taken back. So much poison must be there from the start. The attacker is blindly motivated by the older fatwa.

A fatwa is a legal decree on a point of Islamic law or opinion given by a high-ranking Islamic religious leader, religious authority or qualified council of scholars.

The fatwa was issued for the controversial book The Satanic Verses of 1988 by Salman Rushdie. Without reading, a wide demonstration against the book began – condemned as blasphemous. The then supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Khomeini, issued fatwa, or religious edict, in 1989 that called on Muslims around the world to kill the Indian-born author, forcing him into years of hiding. Salman Rushdie was born in India – brought up in the UK. He had to hide for at least 10 years.

Reason for the Fatwa

The reason for the fatwa is said to be that The Satanic Verses challenges belief of Muslim religion in a dream sequence – where the character appears to be mocking the most sensitive beliefs, fundamental aspects in a fictional way. Gibreel, the main character challenges the core sentiments of Islam which led to controversy. Also, the naming of characters did not sit well with the public – it seemed like they were named so to be mocking the Prophet.

Literary scholars and historians have defended Rushdie saying this is not mockery, Gibreel is asking questions – to distinguish between fact and fiction, what is real and what is a dream.

The Satanic Verses is exploratory literature and not a deliberate attempt to mock religion. Even after such never-ending controversies around him, Salman Rushdie has argued why cannot religious texts be put to scrutiny? In an interview in 2015, Rushdie said, “It is possible to respect individuals, to protect them from intolerance while being sceptical about their ideas, even criticising them ferociously.”

So, can we question religion and debate on religious text validity without killing one another? Perhaps, Rushdie forgot how less tolerant we have been becoming day by day.

After the death of Ayatollah Khomeini, Iran state, in 1998, officially declared that they would not encourage the fatwa. But the fatwa was never retracted. Ayatollah Khomeini, the leader of 1979 Islamic revolution, announced the fatwa, and that is why it was taken seriously by the Muslims all around the world. And not only did it force Salman Rushdie into going into hiding, there were also other people who were killed.

In July, 1991, the Japanese translator of the book, The Satanic Verses, Mr. Igarashi was killed. The Italian translator of the book, Ettore Capriolo was injured in Milan, and Norwegian publisher was wounded by gunshot.

33 years later, even though the book is fiction and not deliberate, the Hardline newspapers of Iran are celebrating by writing -‘The hand of the man who tore the neck of God’s enemy must be kissed’ – praised the attacker of Salman Rushdie, by terming the author as ‘evil’. In this day and age, barbarism is being celebrated blatantly.

Does hate have shelf life or is it so innate that over 30 years of time is not enough? Remember, the attacker was not even born at the time of fatwa! How do we become more intolerant now?

Rushdie has repeated that his novel is to examine immigrant experience, but the narrative was taken over, it worked well nonetheless for Rushdie. And, India was the first to ban The Satanic Verses even before Islamic nations. Rushdie was surprised by the ban and apologized too. He wanted a normal life and no more security, but when security was removed, he was ambushed – shows the level of intolerance which is still there. Natwar Singh, who advised Rajiv Gandhi to ban the book says he was right to ban the book. But it is wrong to ban a book – the book can be debated. Rajiv Gandhi banned the book, but it was never unbanned – nobody asks or wonders why!

Freedom of speech and artistic liberty are shrinking. Shashi Tharoor wrote on Twitter, “Utterly horrified & shocked by the stabbing of Salman Rushdie. Wish him a speedy & complete recovery from his wounds, even though, with a sinking heart, I recognize that life for him can never be the same again. A sad day, worse if creative expression can no longer be free & open.”

Free space is shrinking everywhere and attack can happen in any place. The saddest part is when the message that needs to be spread is peace among religions, then this kind of brutal attack will increase Islamophobia. This urge to protect dignity or honour by boycotting, banning and killing will push us back to the medieval ages. Are we in the 21^st century or in a medieval century?

As far as Islamophobia is concerned, France’s President Emmanuel Macron wrote on the incident – For 33 years, Salman Rushdie has embodied freedom and the fight against obscurantism. He has just been the victim of a cowardly attack by the forces of hatred and barbarism. His fight is our fight; it is universal. Now more than ever, we stand by his side.

It is clear that barbarism will not be tolerated and will increase polarization. Because on one hand, publishers in Iran hail the attack when in fact it should be roundly condemned. I am pleased that in India the attack has been condemned left, right and centre. Those who wish to prevent mockery and insult – latest reports show that sales of The Satanic Verses are rising. The book will now reach more people!

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