WANA (Nov 09) – An Indian court has lifted the decades-long ban on the import of Salman Rushdie’s novel The Satanic Verses, as the government was unable to locate the original order enforcing the ban.

 

Rushdie’s novel was banned in 1988 in India due to controversies surrounding its portrayal of Islam and the Prophet Muhammad. At that time, India was the first country to ban the book because many Muslims found its depiction blasphemous, sparking protests and threats against the British-Indian author.

 

Subsequently, Ayatollah Khomeini, Iran’s former leader, issued a fatwa declaring Rushdie’s death warrant, leading to widespread protests across various countries.

 

After the fatwa issued by Ayatollah Khomeini, Salman Rushdie lived in hiding under British government protection for nearly three decades. He is now reportedly under the protection of the U.S. government. However, in the summer of 2022, he was attacked and injured by a young American of Lebanese descent during a literary event in upstate New York, losing sight in one eye.

Salman Rushdie, the Author of the novel “The Satanic Verses”, Social media/ WANA News Agency