Sunday, February 12

Rushdie’s trial by Ayatollah Khomeini #flashreads

 

Text of the fatwa against Salman Rushdie issued by Ayatollah Khomeini on February 14:

"We are from God and to God we shall return." (Quranic verse). I am informing all brave Muslims of the world that the author of The Satanic Verses, a text written, edited, and published against Islam, the Prophet of Islam, and the Koran, along with all the editors and publishers aware of its contents, are condemned to death. I call on all valiant Muslims wherever they may be in the world to kill them without delay, so that no one will dare insult the sacred beliefs of Muslims henceforth. And whoever is killed in this cause will be a martyr, God Willing. Meanwhile if someone has access to the author of the book but is incapable of carrying out the execution, he should inform the people so that [Rushdie] is punished for his actions.... Rouhollah al-Mousavi al-Khomeini."

From Salman Rushdie’s The Satanic Verses:

“What kind of idea are you? Are you the kind that compromises, does deals, accomodates itself to society, aims to find a niche, to survive; or are you the cussed, bloody-minded, ramrod-backed type of damnfool notion that would rather break than sway with the breeze? – The kind that will almost certainly, ninety-nine times out of hundred, be smashed to bits; but, the hundredth time, will change the world.” 

Rushdie’s book was the torch paper which lit the flame of revolt against these medieval purveyors of obscurantism. Or much simply, Neanderthal idiots. Here, read the full story if you haven't. I find it bizarre. At one time, Muslims were the most enlightened group of people in the world while rest of the world was stuck in barbarism. These days, some parts in the OIC are regressing back to those benighted times. And I include parts of the UK as well.

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