Salman Rushdie's 'The Satanic Verses' I have recently finished reading Salman Rushdie's book, " The Satanic Verses ". Personally, I found it to be a fabulous work of literature, though not of history. I am of course aware of the controversy it ignited when published, but I have never been sure what, precisely, all the fuss was about. Based on my (admittedly limited) knowledge of Islam, I have found two portions of the book that could have offended me, were I Muslim. One of them is an incident where a scribe deliberately inserts a false quote from the Prophet into the Qur'an. The other is a more general description of Ayesha leading a doomed pilgrimage of followers and butterflies into the ocean. If you have read the book, could you comment on specifics that are offensive to Muslims, and if you have not read the book, could you say whether the portions I have identified might be offensive or not? More generally, is there an historical basis for Ayesha leading a pilgrimage? I have found it quite difficult to find a comprehensive history of her, and she is one of the more interesting characters in Rushdie's novel. Thank-you for a wonderful site! My one (gentle) suggestion might be for a general history and introduction to Islam for casual visitors to the site and for non-Muslims. I realize that this might exceed the mandate of your site, but perhaps you could provide a link to other pages with relevant information of that sort. Many thanks, Grant Hamilton Canada Reply I have not read the referred book and am therefore not in a position to comment on it. Moreover, because the author of the book has presented it as a piece of literature, rather than history, therefore, I would not feel comfortable on commenting on the two cited portions of the book, with the limited information provided, because a "piece of literature" may or may not be offensive, depending upon the exact words used and the context and tone of the passages. However, I would like to make my humble suggestions to both the parties (the author/publisher of the book and the Muslim clergy and leaders) to the conflict, which took place after the publication of the referred book. Please keep in mind that these suggestions are not with reference to the referred book only but are actually general suggestions for similar circumstances. Firstly, I would like to suggest to the Muslim clergy and leaders that the correct method of dealing with whatever they (correctly or incorrectly) perceive as offensive is to provide a rebuttal against it in a decent and ethical way. An effective rebuttal, at the correct time, would not only reduce the effects of the attack, to a great extent, but would also bring the hidden "facts" (as they see them) to light. The method adopted by the Muslim leaders and clergy, on the contrary, is that of protests and demonstrations. This method - if closely observed - not only is absolutely ineffective, keeping in view the modern day free communication facilities, but actually promotes the propagation and spread of the idea being protested against. Many people, who probably would never have noticed the publication of a new book, are informed of the publication through these protests, demonstrations and expressions of anger. This has exactly been the case (in Pakistan) with the sale and reading of "Satanic Verses". Many people - whom I personally know, who rarely read any book - specially arranged for the illegal smuggling of the book (as it is banned in Pakistan), or a copy of it, through their friends or relatives and read it with great interest. All this was only due to the clamor against the book. I think Mr. Salman Rushdie (the author) and his publisher should give a lot of credit to the Muslim clergy and leadership for boosting the sales of the book. I am sure that if a survey of the readers of the book is conducted, a large percentage of them will submit that they were instigated to read the book by the Muslim protests and clamor against it. If the Muslims thought that the book was offensive for them and felt that it would, in any way, damage them or the standing of their religion, a better solution, in my opinion, would have been to sponsor the preparation of an effective rebuttal. This would have had a positive effect in two ways. Firstly, their protests would not have worked as propaganda in favor of the book; secondly, whatever (negative?) affects the book might have had on its readers could have been nullified by an effective rebuttal, which could have greatly helped the propagation and understanding of Islam and Muslim history. Finally, I would also like to suggest to the Muslim community, in general, that abuse and clamor has never proved to be an effective response against an intellectual attack, however false it might be. If we believe that some one has misrepresented historical or religious facts, a logical response would be to present the facts, as we see them, in an equally effective manner. In case we do not have an answer to the allegations put forth, then, at least, we should keep our mouths shut, if we do not have the courage to accept those allegations to be true. We must not forget that our unethical behavior and immoral responses will, ultimately, prove to be more damaging to the cause and of Islam and the impression that we leave on the world than all the books written against it. As far as the authors and publishers are concerned, I would only like to suggest to them that what ultimately matters is not the number of books they sell, but the contribution they make to world literature. If, in the ultimately analysis, their contribution is positive, they shall be remembered in the life of this world as well as rewarded in the hereafter. On the other hand, if there contribution is negative, they may sell a large number of books, but the world will only remember them as businesspersons, rather than those who contributed anything positive to literature. They should not forget that hurting the feelings of any group of people - whether they be Jews, Christians, Muslims or any other ethnic or religious group - even in the name of "quality literature" can by no means pass as ethical. The world society is already filled with such enormous hatred toward each other that any further contribution in the wrong direction may so easily prove disastrous - and this might all be in the name of "quality literature". You have asked: More generally, is there an historical basis for Ayesha leading a pilgrimage? I am not aware of any such incident where Hadhrat Ayesha (ra) led any Hajj congregation. You write: Thank-you for a wonderful site! My one (gentle) suggestion might be for a general history and introduction to Islam for casual visitors to the site and for non-Muslims. I realize that this might exceed the mandate of your site, but perhaps you could provide a link to other pages with relevant information of that sort. Thank you for your encouraging remarks on my work. Your suggestions are not only noted but have always been in my mind, especially the part related to introduction to Islam. I plan to start posting brief and detailed articles on Islam in the near future. While articles on Muslim history shall also be planned as soon as I can get a qualified person who is interested in the field. Regards The Learner