The West's Shame...and Mine

    Not too long ago, Salman Rushdie published his most recent novel titled, Victory City. Like many of his novels, this one is marinated in myths and fantasy...poetry and history. While I have not read it yet, the early reviews are very positive (the synopsis of the story is fascinating) and the book has, to no one's surprise, ended up on many best-seller lists. However, the most important fact is that it was written and published at all. 

    For those of you who have forgotten or are too young to remember...a little history lesson. Back in 1988, Rushdie wrote and published a novel called The Satanic Verses. It is a wonderful and thought-provoking novel. A work of magical realism (like most of Rushdie's oeuvre) partly inspired by what is known of the life of the Prophet Muhammad. Upon its release, it is an understatement to say that all hell broke loose. First and foremost, Muslim fundamentalists lost their minds. So much so, that the supreme leader (and piece of shit human being) of Iran, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini put out a multi-million dollar bounty on Rushdie's head. Not only that, but a wave of bloodshed ensued. Rushdie's Japanese translator was murdered, his Italian translator was stabbed, and 37 people died in a fire targeting his Turkish translator. And the list goes on... 

    As time went on and Iran's old-guard died off (thank the gods), it seemed the fervor had waned for Rushdie's assassination. That proved to be illusory. You see, in August of last year, Mr. Rushdie was viciously attacked by a young man named Hadi Matar. Now, Mr. Matar was not even alive when The Satanic Verses was written, and no doubt had never even read it (troglodyte that he is). As a result of this heinous attempt on his life, Rushdie lost an eye and was repeatedly stabbed in the neck and abdomen. According to his agent at the time, "Rushdie's nerves in his arm were severed and his liver was stabbed and damaged." Ironically, Rushdie was giving a talk in Upstate New York at a literary gathering on how the United States had become a safe haven for free speech where exiled writers and artists from totalitarian regimes could come without fear for the content of their artistry. Well, now. It would seem we need to do better!

    The speech seemed to be a culmination of sorts for Mr. Rushdie. Over the previous 33 years, Rushdie had gradually come out of hiding and was variously seen speaking and partying (he was always known as a bon vivant, as it were), and generally becoming a public figure again. This is a bravery I'm not sure I could have mustered, if I were in his position. That said, it was wonderful to see Rushdie give the Muslim fundamentalists, and for that matter, all religious fundamentalists, Protestant and Catholic alike, as well as all enemies of free speech, the metaphorical middle finger. And while the passing of the years seemed to justify Rushdie's growing sense of security, the assassination attempt on his life proved those thoughts ill-founded. It also proved that even in these so-called modern and enlightened times...no one marked for death can ever afford to lower their guard. 

    Let's keep this simple, shall we? The bounty on Rushdie's head was put there because he wrote a book; let me repeat that for those of you on the West Coast...BECAUSE HE WROTE A BOOK! A work of fiction, no less! Rushdie took a historical figure, the Prophet Muhammad; a fictional character, Allah; AND WROTE A STORY! A story that, in one of my favorite phrases, "ruined the sacred truths." I suppose the Christian equivalent would be something like Scorsese's The Last Temptation of Christ, or Dante's Inferno. Because if anyone thinks that Dante's Inferno is normative and shouldn't be considered blasphemy by Christians, especially Catholics...doesn't have clue one about their religion. 

    As I said, Rushdie had been coming out of his "exile" for a while at the time of this attack. He felt safer..more free, if you will. I mean, it had been 34 years since the cave-men had called for his death, right? However, this just demonstrates, once again, the effect that a violent, aggressive, and TOTALITARIAN ideology may exert on people (in this case, Hadi Matar), though the question always remains as to whether ideologies choose men, or men choose ideologies. No doubt a relationship exists between personality and ideology. 

    I write about this after all this time because I was, quite frankly, nervous to publish a piece about what happened and then have Rushdie die on me! Because, as my 4 dedicated readers know, it's all about me, right?! But seriously, sometimes one doesn't know what to do in the face of fanaticism and outright evil. And let's be honest, Rushdie isn't the most likable guy. When the fatwa was pronounced in 1988, then British Prime Minster, Margaret Thatcher said, without hesitation, "We'll protect you." How great is that?! One of the three most important people on the international scene in the late 20th century, along with Ronald Reagan and John Paul II, said... "We'll protect you." Rushdie returned this kindness by comparing Thatcher's Britain to South Africa's apartheid regime and Hitler's Germany! How's that for thanks! Jack-ass! What he said was grossly unpleasant and stupid. But what was also very clear, was that during this whole pivotal moment in the history of the relationship between the West and Islamism...the West came up small and weak. And just between you and me, I think this had an encouraging effect for Muslim fundamentalists which led to 9-11. But that's a whole other highway...

    Despite all this, Rushdie was protected by the British government, at public expense, for several years...and rightly so. Free speech must be defended, even if the person you're defending is not wholly admirable...or an asshole! You can't defend free speech only for those you like...and we'll get back to those last few words soon. Free speech must be defended...period. Or we lose our way. And this brings me to the title of this piece. The West's shame is that as time has made its way from The Satanic Verses in 1988...to Harvard, Penn, and MIT in 2023...Free Speech seems to be more and more under fire. At the time, back in 1988 and '89, Britain did break off diplomatic relations with Iran over all of this, but restored relations when the animals in Iran seemed to soften their stance. My shame is that when all of this happened in 1988 and I was living and working in Boston, I actually uttered the following words to colleagues, golf buddies, my father...anyone who would listen; I said, and I quote, "If you're gonna blaspheme an entire religion that has well over 1 BILLION adherents...you kind of get what you deserve." REALLY???!!! I said those exact words?! Me?! Peter Brent Hall! Just awful. Sancho...don't EVER stop calling me an idiot. Not a problem, Boss! Wasn't even an issue. 

    Salman Rushdie has long been released from the hospital and is out and about, doing his thing. Good for him. As I stated above, he has a new novel that is on my bookshelf and I can't wait to read it. But I can't help thinking when I ponder the enemies of free thought and speech that led to the attack on Rushdie, while he was defending free speech in a country that is, supposedly, dedicated to FREE SPEECH as one of its bedrock freedoms, a principle for which (for all his annoying predilections) Rushdie has been a staunch and brave supporter. But are they the only - or even the main - threats to free speech in the West today? 

write to Peter: magtour@icloud.com