Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Sir Salman Rushdie: free speech under threat from 'religious extremists'


Novels such as The Satanic Verses would struggle to be published today because the violent fallout and fear would be too great for publishers, Sir Salman Rushdie said today.

Satanic Verses author Sir Salman Rushdie speaks out over anti-Islam film

Rushdie does not defend the film at the centre of the new outcry Photo: Clara Molden

The 65 year-old suggested that free speech was being put at risk because “religious extremists of all stripes” attacked people who criticised other beliefs.
In a new interview today, he also condemned people who justified violent protests or the “vilification” of people in the name of “religion”.

His interview came after his latest book Joseph Anton: A Memoir recounted his life in hiding after Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa calling for his death in 1989.
The Booker Prize-winning author was forced to go into hiding after the fatwa was issued more than two decades ago following the publication of his fourth book.
He suggested that a book that carried criticism of religions would not be published in the same form in this day due to the violent protests that it would provoke.
He has said that the banning of his book in many countries and the subsequent threats on his life had created a "long-term chilling effect".

Full story at The Telegraph


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