In the late 1980’s Salman Rushdie’s book “The Satanic Verses” sparked controversy after its publication, leading to nationwide protests due to its portrayal of Islamic history and sacred figures being considered blasphemous by many people.
Born in 1947, Salman Rushdie is an Indian-Born, British and American Novelist who usually writes fictional and non-fictional novels. Rushdie published his first novel in 1975, however, he gained fame and recognition in 1988 after his fourth novel “The Satanic Verses” was published. The book was inspired by the life of Prophet Muhammad. The plot of this book revolves around two protagonists who fall on Earth, escaping an explosion on an aircraft. It navigates around the dreams and how out of the two protagonists, one becomes good and the other transforms into an incarnation of Satan. The Kaaba depicted in the novel is compared to a brothel and believers who traverse it are portrayed as customers waiting to indulge in sexual intercourse with the Prophet’s wives. In the book, a prophet appears in the dream of one of the main character, the prophet is called “Mahound” which was an offensive name for Muhammad used by Christians. This novel was criticized as well as appreciated by people. However, it is well known for its controversies.
After the publication of this novel, it became a symbol of deep tension between religious sentiments and artistic expression. Massive riots, including a fatwa that was issued in 1989, one year after the novel was published, by the then Supreme leader of Iran, Ruhollah Khomaini, against Rushdie, ordering Muslims to get him killed. The reason for the controversy that surrounds this novel is that it is blasphemous and offensive to Muslims who found the depictions in the book to be insulting. In India, under the Rajiv Gandhi’s government, violent protests, book burnings etc. took place after the book was published. On October 1988, under the Customs Act, 1962, following a custom notification, a ban on the import of the novel, “The Satanic Verses” was declared. Following the ban, Rushdie expressed his dissent and wrote an open letter to the then Prime Minister of India, Rajiv Gandhi criticizing the ban. He also responded to the ban by stating that the book is about migration, love, death, etc., and is actually not about Islam.
This kind of global public outrage caused Rushdie to go into hiding for nearly 10 years, shifting houses all over UK and US. Years after the publication of this novel, when Rushdie was about to give a public lecture on August 2022 in New York, he was stabbed multiple times by a 24-year-old suspect and in this process, he lost eyesight in one of his eyes. Rushdie was not the only one who was facing the consequences of the public outrage caused by the novel. Since extremists could not reach Rushdie, in 1991 they attacked and assassinated Hitoshi Igarashi, the Japanese translator of this book. Along with this, the novel’s Italian translator and Norwegian publisher were seriously injured too.
The book that sparked global outrage and was banned in India, returned to the shelves in 2024 after almost four decades. On November 2024, Delhi High Court Justices Rekha Palli and Saurabh Banerjee were hearing the 2019 petition that challenged the import ban on the said book and found out that the documents of the 1988 notification, which led to the ban were untraceable. The petitioner who was unable to import the book because of the notification banning its import in India, initiated legal proceedings after finding out that there was no official record of the ban on the government websites. The Bench observed that since the respondents failed to provide any such documentation related to the ban, the court would have no other option except to presume that no such notification existed and uplifted the ban on the said book. The Satanic Verses is now available in a book store in Delhi NCR under “Limited Stock.”
There is a thin line between creative liberty and law. Due to creative liberty, an individual can create and express their beliefs without the fear of any censorship. While authors enjoy the freedom of creative liberty they must be meticulously careful about the content published by them. Rushdie received backlash because he mocked the religious sentiments of people by portraying the divine monuments and figures in a demeaning way. The idea of misuse of creative liberty comes into play when an author decides to alter the facts to such an extent that it may seem unreasonable and unethical. For an author, misuse of creative liberty can have a profound effect on their personal as well as professional life. In this scenario, Rushdie had to spend his life in constant fear, switching houses from one place to another.
As debates over censorship and religious freedom continue to evolve in India, the banning of “The Satanic Verses” remains a symbol of the nation’s struggle with balancing artistic freedom and religious sentiments. The Indian Government’s decision to ban the import of the book rather than the complete publication of the book was for a combination of political and practical reasons. The import ban allowed the government to handle the religious sentiments of individuals without violating the freedom of expression of the author. By doing so, major outbreaks at that time were under control and the copies of the book that were already in India were still accessible. The controversy in the book, is one such instance that led to not one but many people’s lives in danger. Rushdie received major criticism for the contents mentioned in his book. However, even after his clarification, stating that the book had nothing to do with Islam, he had to live a life in fear. “The Satanic Verses” serve as a reminder of the power a book holds, it is not just for entertainment purposes but it can impact and large number of people when it concerns the divine itself. As we grapple with the issues of the modern world, it becomes essential for authors to navigate the lines between artistic liberty and religious sentiments.
Authors: Saurojit Barua & Trisha Puri