19. june. 08

driving to work this morning i was listening to an NPR biography on Salman Rushdie, today is his 61st birthday. as i was lamenting on my own itty bitty troubles, this morning put everything into perspective for me.  maybe it's forging ahead against all odds, maybe it's not taking no as an answer, maybe it's staying true to your beliefs against peril. but i was inspired and motivated.  Rushdie was forced to go into hiding for almost a decade after the Ayatollah Khomeini issued the death sentence over The Satanic Verses. On Valentine’s Day in 1989 the spiritual figurehead of the Iranian revolution pronounced on Teheran radio that: “The author of The Satanic Verses, which is against Islam, the Prophet, the Koran, and all those involved in its publication who were aware of its content, are sentenced to death. "

A month after publication, India banned the book. Bannings soon followed in Pakistan, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, and other countries with large Muslim populations.  In 1991, the Japanese translator of The Satanic Verses was stabbed to death.  Shortly afterward, the Italian translator was stabbed, but survived.  In 1993, the Norwegian publisher of the book was injured in a gun attack. Book burnings took place.  Barnes and Noble even stopped carrying it.

He re-emerged after the Iranian government said it would no longer support the edict in 1998 nor could it rescind it.  Rushdie says he still gets a "Valentine's Day card" every February 14th from Iran, reminding him he is a marked man.  He has gone on to write nine novels.  I found this Rushdie quote today that has stayed with me all day and I keep reading over and over. beautiful. eloquent.  hopeful. real.  but namely inspiring.