INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
on Friday before a scheduled lecture in western New York on Friday.Rushdie was stabbed by a 24-year-old New Jersey man
book, "The Satanic Verses", released in September 1988
It was one of the most divisive works in recent literary history
Sri Lanka, Kenya, Thailand, Tanzania, Indonesia, Singapore, Venezuela, and Pakistan.Rushdie referred to Prophet Muhammad in his book as
"Mahound," a disparaging epithet given to the Prophet by early crusaders that meant "devil" or "false prophet."In 1990, he issued a
statement claiming he had renewed his Muslim faith, repudiated the attacks on Islam made by characters in his novel, and was committed to
working for a better understanding of the religion around the world in the "hope that it would reduce the threat of Muslims acting on the
fatwa to kill him." Rushdie later admitted that he was "pretending."The British-Indian author, who currently lives in the United States, had
been previously put under police protection because of threats to his life
Several of these countries' parliaments criticized the action, and Iran and Pakistan recalled their British envoys to protest publicly.Some
non-Muslims were disappointed by Rushdie's knighthood, stating that the writer did not deserve the honor and that there were other writers
