Salman Rushdie

In 1988, Salman Rushdie's novel, The Satanic Verses, was published.  The following year, the Ayatollah Khomeini of Iran issued a fatwa for Rushdie's death.  Rushdie spent many years in hiding after the fatwa and there have been assassination plots and attempts.  A Japanese translator of the novel was murdered and other translators have been attacked.  On Friday, Rushdie was stabbed multiple times by a 24-year-old Muslim assailant.

Why is The Satanic Verses so controversial?  It is not primarily about Islam though it does relate the source of the title.  Prophet Mohammad had spoken of a trio of Meccan goddesses as worthy.  Of course, this undermined prior readings and were soon withdrawn with the claim that Satan had tricked Muhammad into offering them.  Thus, they are known as the Satanic Verses.  To claim that Allah was only one of many gods was an unforgivable sin.  David Wood offers an explanation as to why the Satanic Verses are a threat to Islamic theology.

All too often, Islam practices a permanent form of censorship.  Theo Van Gogh, Charlie Hebdo, Samuel Paty, and many others have suffered permanent censorship.