Ameer Abdullah
Ameer Abdullah
Dr. James D. Lesueur
HIST Radical Islam 425
February 25, 2013
Daniel Pipes: The Rushdie Affair
The British novelist Salman Rushdie has produced various works that have been considered to teeter the line of appropriate and inappropriate to the public view. However, Rushdie’s work the “Satanic Verses” which presented a satirical outlook of Islam, prevailed to be the most controversial and contentious of his line of works. Many Muslims argued that Rushdie’s book demeaned the origins of the Islamic faith and also the Prophet Muhammad; radicals demanded that the book be banned in all countries where Islamic influence persisted. On the other side, there were also observers that debated that Rushdie’s book should not be banned because of Salman Rushdie’s freedoms of expression. This epidemic resulted in the breakout of protest of radical Islamist and death threats against Salman Rushdie. Daniel Pipes’ peace “The Rushdie Affair: The Novel, the Ayatollah and the West,” depicts the issue “The Satanic Verses” poses on a global level. Pipes’ work is strategically put together to explain exactly how the “The Satanic Verses” became such a catastrophic peace of work, how Muslim activist perceived the content within Rushdie’s book, and most importantly in regards to radical Islam today, Daniel Pipes examines how this issue generated problems between Iran and the west, which, ultimately could potentially lead to future complications with radical Islamist. Before advancing into the particulars of how “The Satanic Verses” became such a debacle, it is imperative to understand Daniel Pipes’ intentions for publishing his work and his feelings for Salman Rushdie in this circumstance throughout “The Rushdie Affair.” First and Foremost I believe it is necessary to address that Daniel Pipes’ motives for writing “The Rushdie Affair” are completely nondiscriminatory. Pipes’ motives do not rest with radical Islamist; he is merely analyzing the extent of this
Dr. James D. Lesueur
HIST Radical Islam 425
February 25, 2013
Daniel Pipes: The Rushdie Affair
The British novelist Salman Rushdie has produced various works that have been considered to teeter the line of appropriate and inappropriate to the public view. However, Rushdie’s work the “Satanic Verses” which presented a satirical outlook of Islam, prevailed to be the most controversial and contentious of his line of works. Many Muslims argued that Rushdie’s book demeaned the origins of the Islamic faith and also the Prophet Muhammad; radicals demanded that the book be banned in all countries where Islamic influence persisted. On the other side, there were also observers that debated that Rushdie’s book should not be banned because of Salman Rushdie’s freedoms of expression. This epidemic resulted in the breakout of protest of radical Islamist and death threats against Salman Rushdie. Daniel Pipes’ peace “The Rushdie Affair: The Novel, the Ayatollah and the West,” depicts the issue “The Satanic Verses” poses on a global level. Pipes’ work is strategically put together to explain exactly how the “The Satanic Verses” became such a catastrophic peace of work, how Muslim activist perceived the content within Rushdie’s book, and most importantly in regards to radical Islam today, Daniel Pipes examines how this issue generated problems between Iran and the west, which, ultimately could potentially lead to future complications with radical Islamist. Before advancing into the particulars of how “The Satanic Verses” became such a debacle, it is imperative to understand Daniel Pipes’ intentions for publishing his work and his feelings for Salman Rushdie in this circumstance throughout “The Rushdie Affair.” First and Foremost I believe it is necessary to address that Daniel Pipes’ motives for writing “The Rushdie Affair” are completely nondiscriminatory. Pipes’ motives do not rest with radical Islamist; he is merely analyzing the extent of this
Cited: Pipes, Daniel. The Rushdie Affair: The Novel, The Ayatollah and the West. New Brunswick, New Jersey: Birch Lane Press, 1990 2nd-ed.