Rushdie Haunted by his unholy Ghosts — Page 136
136 C H A P T E R S E V E N T E E N : R US H DI E ’ S DE F E NC E OF T H E S A T A N IC V E R S E S After the fatwa was declared, Rushdie entered into different phases of fickle explanations for writing the infamous novel. One moment he was defending the book; another moment he was apolo- gising for the hurt he had caused; and yet another moment he was totally unrepentant. The period from the pronouncement of the fatwa to the present will show the mercurial changes in the character of Rushdie and how the true character surfaces. Immediately after the death sentence was imposed, Rushdie in fear of his life, defended his book saying that it ‘was not an attack on Islam or any other religion. It was an attempt to challenge precon- ceptions and to examine the conflict between secular and religious views of the world. ’ (The Times, 15 February 89). So much for it being a work of fiction ! Rushdie appeared on Channel 4 in a programme broadcast by Bandung File on 14 February 1989 in which he was unyielding in defending his views. He half-expected the reaction of the Muslims : ‘I expected that the mullahs wouldn’t like it. But I didn’t write it for the mullahs. I’ve seen what the mullahs have done in Pakistan over the past 11 years. . . . I insist on my right to express it as I think fit. ’ He seems to know a lot about the mullahs; he should also know that the mullahs have an alarming influence on the masses, and so consequently, the reaction of the masses would be synonymous to theirs. So, in spite of knowing the hurt that it would cause, he carried on regardless in the name of ‘freedom of speech’. He also makes the futile assumption that ‘if you don’t want to read a book, you don’t have to read it. It’s very hard to be offended