One of his works sparked several controversies due to the criticism he expressed against various ideologies and religions, for which he had received various death threats.
Euskaraz irakurri: Salman Rushdie, Islamic fundamentalism haserretu zuen idazlea
Indian-born British writer Salman Rushdie was attacked this Friday during a presentation in New York State, in the US.
Rushdie has been living under threat from Iran for his novel for years the Devil’s verses (The Devil’s Verses1988), considered blasphemous by the Iranian authorities and for which the then Iranian Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, issued a decides to ask for the death of the writer.
The Iranian government eventually waived Khomeini’s fatwa, but in 2012, a semi-official Iranian religious foundation increased Rushdie’s pay from $2.8 million to $3.3 million.
In addition to the above work, the essayist has published such novels as: children of midnight (MidnightChildren1981), which won the Booker Prize in 1981 and was considered “the best novel of all winners”.
His style, several times compared to Spanish-American magical realism, has led to several controversies about the ccriticism directed at the various political and social ideologies, as well as the religions.
His fourth novel, the Devil’s verses, is a work in which fiction is combined with philosophical reflection and a sense of humor. Is aroused the wrath of Muslims Shiites, who considered it an insult to the Quran, Muhammad and the Islamic faith, were banned in India, Pakistan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and South Africa, among others.
Since then, Rushdie has received several death threats, including a fatwa (religious decree) issued by the Ayatollah. Ruhollah Khomeini, then the Iranian Supreme Leader, who called for his assassination. For this reason, the British government has placed the writer under police protection.
During his career, Rushdie has received several lifetime achievement awards and nominations, and in January 2008 The times ranked him 13th on the list of the 50 greatest British writers since 1945.
Rushdie has lived in the United States since 2000 and published in 2012 Joseph Anton: a memoiran account of his life after the controversy over the Devil’s verses.
Rushdie is the last victim related to the controversial work; several people have been killed or injured since its publication: in 1989, two moderate Islamic religious leaders were murdered in Brussels for resisting the book’s censorship; the book’s Italian translator, Ettore Capriolo, was attacked with a knife on July 3, 1991; his Japanese counterpart was murdered on July 12, 1991; on July 3, 1993, 37 people died in Sivas, Turkey, in an attack on the Turkish translator of the novel, Aziz Nesin; and on October 11, 1993, they attempted to murder the novel’s publisher in Norway, William Nygaard.
Visit to Bilbao
In 2011, the Indian-British writer visited the capital of Biscay to inaugurate the Bilbao International Festival of Letters. The event reflected on freedom, censorship and self-censorship, things which, as the writer made clear, are ‘death for an artist’.
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Source: EITB
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
