Rushdie Haunted by his unholy Ghosts — Page 90
90 Mohamed Arshad Ahmedi Instead I will only relate a few examples to illustrate the author’s mendacious claim and insistence that this is a work of fiction. What will also surface is the author’s hatred of everything Islamic. The Holy Qur’an was revealed to Prophet Muhammad(sa) through the Archangel Gabriel. In Urdu an angel is called a ‘farish- ta’. One of the central characters in the novel is ‘Gibreel Farishta’, who throughout has been referred to as a sex-starved half-god, half-human, on the loose who indulges in all sorts of vices includ- ing adultery, incest and eating of pork just to prove that God is no longer omnipotent. (pp. 25-30). Is the use of a revered figure in Islamic belief in such ignomini- ous terms a necessary addition to a supposedly ‘fictitious’ novel ? Or is the author so oblivious to the sensitive feelings of millions of Muslims all around the world ? Mecca, which is regarded as the most sacred city in Islam, is called the ‘city of Jahlia’, meaning a city of ignorance. (p. 95). Prophet Abrahamas is called a ‘bastard’ (p. 95) and the com- panions of the Holy Prophet(sa) are also spared no poison from his pen. Salman Farsi is called amongst other names ‘some sort of bum’, Bilal is called an ‘enormous black monster’; these two noble com- panions plus another one called Khalid are regarded as ‘riff-raff, trinity of scum, idlers’ and ‘those goons those f. . . ing clowns’. (pp. 101-102). The Prophet’s uncle Hamza is also insulted (p. 104). Can it be purely coincidental that the names of so many ‘fic- tional’ characters in the book resemble those of the companions of the Holy Prophet(sa) of Islam, or was the real aim to injure and hurt the feelings of Muslims all over the world ? Was it also coincidental that the brothel named ‘Hijab’, which supposedly existed at the time of the Holy Prophet(sa), was full of whores who are given names which are the same as the names of the noble wives of the Holy Prophet(sa) ?