Following the brutal attack on Author Salman Rushdie during a program in New York, political commentator and author Fareed Zakaria condemned the incident labelling Rushdie as a “brilliant, brave man.” In a tweet quoting the news by The New York Times, he said, “I’m sickened by this ghastly attack. Salman is a brilliant, brave man – one of the greats. Hoping and wishing for good news.”
I’m sickened by this ghastly attack. Salman is a brilliant, brave man – one of the greats. Hoping and wishing for good news. https://t.co/Z12eDlVLuk
— Fareed Zakaria (@FareedZakaria) August 12, 2022
It is worth noting that while Zakaria has supported Rushdie, calling him brave and intelligent, his father had earlier criticised Rushdie’s work The Satanic Verses. Rafiq Zakaria, Fareed Zakaria’s father, was a politician and an Islamic preacher who issued an open letter condemning Salman Rushdie’s book and supporting the ban on it by the then Prime Minister of India Rajiv Gandhi.
In an open letter to its author Salman Rushdie published in The Illustrated Weekly Of India on October 23, 1988, Rafiq Zakaria praised Rajiv Gandhi’s decision to ban The Satanic Verses. Rafiq asked Rushdie ten questions in the letter and demanded clarification on them. He also indicated that he was aware that the book’s prohibition would not be removed in any circumstance. Referring to Rajiv Gandhi, he said,” he may ignore it as most heads of government do.”
The questions asked in the letter range from the name of the prophet used by Rushdie in the book to the names of different personalities in the Islamic faith. Rafiq Zakaria even questioned Rushdie if he would say that the characters in the book don’t resemble any living or dead personality. “Can you, with your hand on your heart, say that they really don’t resemble the characters and situations in the life of the Prophet of Islam. And if they do. what should the authorities do to control a likely occurrence which you as well as I know may disturb the tranquillity of the land,” he asked.
Zakaria also stated that the tradition of banning such literature was not new in India and it existed from the times of Lord Macaulay who “incorporated the need for such a ban in our legal system to prevent disorder.” At last, Rafiq Zakaria wrote, “Do not pontificate, Mr Rushdie; be logical and face the facts. Answer your critics if you can.”
It is notable that Salman Rushdie was attacked on Friday as he prepared to give a lecture in western New York. Rushdie is best known for his book ‘The Satanic Verses,’ which sparked death threats from Islamists all over the world, particularly from Iran in the 1980s. Rushdie was punched and stabbed as he prepared to deliver a speech at the Chautauqua Institution in New York.
