Episode 245 - ‘The Satanic Verses’: Fatwas & Faux Pas

About this episode

If the contents of a 546-page book can get one man murdered, two more seriously injured and its author forced into hiding for nine years, you can be confident of its subject: religion. But despite its reputation, ‘The Satanic Verses’ isn’t a page-by-page deconstruction of Islam. It’s a work of fiction; one that prompted the leader of Iran to call for a worldwide manhunt of anyone involved in its publication. <br><br>So how did one man’s literary skill get another man literally killed?<br><br><strong>Classic merch is out now:</strong> <a href="https://redhandedshop.com/">redhandedshop.com</a> <br><br><strong>Become a patron:</strong><br><a href="https://www.patreon.com/redhanded">Patreon</a><br><br><strong>Order a copy of the book here (US &amp; Canada):</strong><br><a href="https://www.wellesleybooks.com/book/9780762473793">Order on Wellesley Books</a><br><a href="https://www.amazon.com/RedHanded-Exploration-Criminals-Cannibals-Killer/dp/0762473797/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&amp;keywords=redhanded&amp;qid=1617228369&amp;sr=8-1">Order on Amazon.com</a><br><br><strong>Order a copy of the book here (UK, Ireland, Europe, NZ, Aus):</strong><br><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Redhanded-Exploration-Criminals-Cannibals-Killer/dp/1398707139/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&amp;qid=1616698132&amp;sr=1-1">Order on Amazon.co.uk</a><br><a href="https://www.foyles.co.uk/witem/biography/redhanded,suruthi-bala-hannah-maguire-9781398707139">Order on Foyles</a><br><br><strong>Follow us on social media:</strong><br><a href="https://www.instagram.com/redhandedthepod/">Instagram</a><br><a href="https://twitter.com/RedHandedthepod">Twitter</a><br><br><strong>Visit our website:</strong><br><a href="https://redhandedpodcast.com/">Website</a><br><br><strong>Contact us:</strong><br><a href="https://redhandedpodcast.com/contact-1">Contact</a><br><br><strong>Sources:<br></strong><br>Head to Head episode: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5wclhYcWaA">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5wclhYcWaA</a>  <br><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9832674/">https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9832674/</a>  <a href="https://thehoya.com/the-satanic-verses-a-misunderstood-masterpiece-about-identity-metamorphosis/">https://thehoya.com/the-satanic-verses-a-misunderstood-masterpiece-about-identity-metamorphosis/</a>  <a href="https://www.englishpen.org/posts/campaigns/salman-rushdie-condemns-attack-on-charlie-hebdo/">https://www.englishpen.org/posts/campaigns/salman-rushdie-condemns-attack-on-charlie-hebdo/</a>  <a href="https://socialistworker.co.uk/features/islamophobia-free-speech-and-salman-rushdie-s-the-satanic-verses/">https://socialistworker.co.uk/features/islamophobia-free-speech-and-salman-rushdie-s-the-satanic-verses/</a>  <a href="https://aeon.co/essays/can-there-ever-be-another-novel-like-the-satanic-verses">https://aeon.co/essays/can-there-ever-be-another-novel-like-the-satanic-verses</a>  <a href="https://theconversation.com/thirty-years-on-why-the-satanic-verses-remains-so-controversial-102321">https://theconversation.com/thirty-years-on-why-the-satanic-verses-remains-so-controversial-102321</a>  <a href="https://www.theweek.co.uk/99921/why-was-the-satanic-verses-so-controversial">https://www.theweek.co.uk/99921/why-was-the-satanic-verses-so-controversial</a>  <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilbNgCWgnwE">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilbNgCWgnwE</a>  <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/sep/01/i-guess-im-having-a-go-at-killing-it-salman-rushdie-to-bypass-print-and-publish-next-book-on-substack">https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/sep/01/i-guess-im-having-a-go-at-killing-it-salman-rushdie-to-bypass-print-and-publish-next-book-on-substack</a>  <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/may/15/salman-rushdie-i-am-stupidly-optimistic-it-got-me-through-those-bad-years">https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/may/15/salman-rushdie-i-am-stupidly-optimistic-it-got-me-through-those-bad-years</a>  <a href="https://www.indexoncensorship.org/2019/02/student-reading-list-salman-rushdie-fatwa/">https://www.indexoncensorship.org/2019/02/student-reading-list-salman-rushdie-fatwa/</a>  <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-19600879">https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-19600879</a>  <a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2014/04/salman-rushdie-fatwa-satanic-verses">https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2014/04/salman-rushdie-fatwa-satanic-verses</a> <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/10/world/europe/norway-satanic-verses.html">https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/10/world/europe/norway-satanic-verses.html</a>  <a href="https://www.spiked-online.com/2019/02/14/the-chilling-legacy-of-the-rushdie-affair/">https://www.spiked-online.com/2019/02/14/the-chilling-legacy-of-the-rushdie-affair/</a>  <a href="https://www.irishtimes.com/news/rushdie-affair-is-finished-1.196216">https://www.irishtimes.com/news/rushdie-affair-is-finished-1.196216</a> <br><a href="https://www.crf-usa.org/bill-of-rights-in-action/bria-15-1-c-blasphemy-salman-rushdie-and-freedom-of-expression">https://www.crf-usa.org/bill-of-rights-in-action/bria-15-1-c-blasphemy-salman-rushdie-and-freedom-of-expression</a>  <a href="https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/the-rushdie-affair-salman-rushdie-cat-stevens/">https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/the-rushdie-affair-salman-rushdie-cat-stevens/</a>  <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/stories-47225607">https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/stories-47225607</a>  <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2019/2/19/the-salman-rushdie-affair-thirty-years-and-a-novelist-later">https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2019/2/19/the-salman-rushdie-affair-thirty-years-and-a-novelist-later</a>  <a href="https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-07-13-mn-1822-story.html">https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-07-13-mn-1822-story.html</a>  <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2012/sep/28/andres-serrano-piss-christ-new-york">https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2012/sep/28/andres-serrano-piss-christ-new-york</a>