to report Missionary thought and culture baseThe Satanic Verses (in English: The Satanic Verses) is an insulting novel against the Prophet of Islam (PBUH) and the Qur’an written by Salman Rushdie (born 1947), an Indian-British author. The title of the novel is a reference to the legend of Gharaniq, which is considered invalid by Muslims. According to the legend of Gharaniq, the Prophet (PBUH) while reciting verses 19 and 20 of Surah Najm, expressed themes that were satanic temptations.
According to many critics and readers, the novel Ayat Satani has called the Prophet of Islam with the insulting title of Mahvand, and considered the Holy Quran to be a mixture of stories, legends and satanic ideas. Also, in this novel, some companions of the Prophet are mentioned in insulting terms and the accusation of moral deviance has been made against the wives of the Prophet.
The beginning of mass protests
The publication of the novel Ayat Satani on Mehr 4, 1367, provoked many protests from Muslims, Christians and Jews; Muslims in countries including India, Pakistan, Italy, Canada and Egypt, while holding rallies against Salman Rushdie and his book, set fire to some bookstores that distribute the book. Also, the official Vatican newspaper condemned Salman Rushdie and his novel. Ephraim Shabira, the rabbi of the Ashkenazi Jews, called for a ban on the publication of satanic verses in Israel.
Imam Khomeini, the leader of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, on 25 Bahman 1367, condemned the author of the book Satanic Verses to death and declared anyone who is killed on the way to the execution of Salman Rushdie a martyr. In another announcement, Salman Rushdie’s repentance was considered unacceptable. After Imam Khomeini’s sentence, Salman Rushdie was forced to live in hiding, and his apology for upsetting the Muslim people did not free him from the consequences of the death sentence.
The book criticizing the Satanic Verses conspiracy written by Ataullah Mohajerani, an article by Nasrullah Pourjavadi and two booklets by Mohammad Sadeghi Tehrani and Mostafa Hosseini Tabatabai are critical works about the Satanic Verses.
Who is Salman Rushdie?
Salman Rushdie was born in Mumbai, India in 1947. He completed his primary education at the English-speaking Christian Missionary School and studied at Cambridge College following his family’s immigration to England. Rushdi went to Pakistan in 1968 and worked in television, but after a year he returned to England and accepted British citizenship.
Salman Rushdie, who was born in a Muslim family, wrote three other novels before the book of Satanic Verses: Midnight’s Children, Sharm and Last Sigh of the Moor. All four works are considered to be related to the culture and history of the people of the Indian subcontinent. Mehdi Sahabi (died 2008) translated the novel Sharm written by Salman Rushdie into Farsi, which won the best foreign novel book of the year award of the Islamic Republic of Iran in 2010.
Salman Rushdie lived in different shelters and away from his family for many years after Imam Khomeini’s fatwa to kill him.
Publishing the book
The book Ayat Shaitani, written by Salman Rushdie, was published for the first time on 4 Mehr 1367 (September 26, 1988) by Penguin Publications of England in 547 pages and has been published more than 140 times in different parts of the world and in different languages, including Arabic. It has been published in Spanish, German, Chinese, Russian and Farsi. Ayat Shaitani won the Costa Literary Award in the same year. This novel was also one of the 5 nominees for the prestigious Booker Prize in 1988, but did not receive the final award.
According to what was quoted from Spiegel magazine, before the publication of his book, Salman Rushdie received about 1.5 million marks as an advance payment from his book publisher, which was an unprecedented amount until that day.
What is the content of this book?
The name of the book Ayat Satani is a reference to the legend of Gharaniq. According to the mentioned narration, while reciting verses 19 and 20 of Surah Najm, the Prophet (PBUH) recited the verses that talked about the intercession of the idols, and that night Gabriel descended on the Prophet and warned him that those verses were satanic temptations. Many Shia and Sunni scholars have considered Gharaniq’s narration as a myth.
Satanic Verses has 9 chapters; 1- Gabriel the angel, 2- Mahund, 3- Elvon Deoun, 4- Aisha, 5- The city of the found and the invisible, 6- Return to ignorance, 7- Azrael the angel, 8- Splitting the Arabian sea, 9- The amazing light. In this novel, the Prophet of Islam is referred to as Mahvand; A name meaning the incarnation of Satan, which was used in the Middle Ages by the opponents of Islam to accuse Muhammad (PBUH) of being a false prophet. Also, the Holy Quran is considered to be a mixture of stories, legends and satanic ideas in the book of Satanic Verses. In another part of the satanic verses, the wife of the Prophet (PBUH) has been accused of moral deviance. The author describes the circumambulation of the Kaaba in the form of a long queue, where visitors to the brothel wait to enter. In this book, some companions of the Prophet (PBUH), including Bilal and Salman Farsi, have been introduced with interpretations such as the black monster, as well as the low phenomenon of humanity.
Reactions to the book
The publication of the novel Ayat Satani provoked many reactions; From Muslim protests in different countries of the world, banning the publication of books and threatening or killing book translators, to the condemnation of Salman Rushdie by the Bishop of New York, the official newspaper of the Vatican, as well as high-ranking Jewish rabbis. Imam Khomeini’s death sentence, award for the execution of Salman Rushdie by the Khordad 15 Foundation, as well as the publication of critical works about the novel Ayat Shaitani, are some of these reactions.
Muslim protests
Muslims in various parts of the world, including India, Pakistan, Kashmir, Thailand, West Germany, Italy, Canada, Sudan, and Egypt, staged protests against Salman Rushdie and set fire to some bookstores distributing Satanic Verses. A number of protesters were killed or injured in public protests. The publication of the novel Ayat Shaitani was banned in India on 13 Mehr 1367 (October 5, 1988), and the Indian government considered the book dangerous due to its anti-religious content.
The publication of the translation of the Satanic Verses book in different parts of the world caused the reaction of Muslims; Among others, Barmak Behdad, the Kurdish translator of the book, has spoken of his death threat, and Khalq magazine, Sulaymaniyah, Iraqi Kurdistan, has considered himself excused from continuing its publication after the publication of the first part of the Kurdish translation of Satanic Verses. Aziz Nasin, Turkish translator , Hitoshi Igarishi, a Japanese translator, and Davoud Nemati, a publisher of a Persian translation in Germany, have been threatened or killed.
Condemnation by Christians and Jews
Cardinal O’Connor, the bishop of New York and the most prominent Catholic figure in America, reacted to the book The Satanic Verses and condemned it, stating that he has not read the novel and will not read it. The official newspaper of the Vatican government condemned Salman Rushdie and his novel. English jurist Lord Hartley Shockers accused Salman Rushdie of abusing his freedom. Efram Shabira, the rabbi of the Ashkenazi Jews in Israel, condemned Satanic verses both from a religious and non-religious point of view and called for their ban in his country.
Also, Emanuel Jacobo Weitz, the rabbi of the Hebrew clans, called for the approval of laws based on which insulting beliefs is prohibited. In addition, the annual convention of Catholic bishops in the United States of America, the Southern Baptist Convention, the United Methodist Church of America, the United Methodist Church of America, and Gary Walville, the leader of the Pro-Ethical Majority Movement in America, condemned The Satanic Verses.
Imam Khomeini’s ruling that Salman Rushdi should be killed
Inna Allah and inna aliyah rajjoon. I would like to inform the zealous Muslims around the world that the author of the book “Evil Verses” which was compiled, printed and published against Islam, the Prophet and the Qur’an, as well as the publishers who knew about its content, are sentenced to death. I ask zealous Muslims to execute them immediately wherever they find them, so that no one dares to insult the holy things of Muslims, and whoever is killed in this way is a martyr, God willing. In addition, if someone has access to the author of the book but does not have the power to execute him, he should introduce him to the people so that he will be punished for his actions. Peace be upon you and God’s mercy and blessings.
death sentence
Imam Khomeini, 25 Bahman 1367 AH (equivalent to 7 Rajab 1409 AH) in a message, condemned the author of the book Satanic Verses and the publishers who knew about the contents of the book to death and asked Muslims to execute them quickly wherever they find them so that no one dares to do so. Do not insult the holy things of Muslims. It is stated in this ruling that whoever is killed in this way is a martyr.
In another announcement issued by Imam Khomeini’s office on 29 Bahman 1367, the news of some international media about the cancellation of Salman Rushdie’s death sentence in case of his repentance, was denied and emphasized that “Salman Rushdie, if he repents and becomes an ascetic of the times, is on every Muslim.” It is obligatory to use everything with life and wealth to bring him to understanding”. In another part of this announcement, it is stated that if a non-Muslim finds out about the whereabouts of Salman Rushdie and is able to execute him before the Muslims, it is obligatory for the Muslims to give him a reward or a wage for his work.
Imam Khomeini’s ruling on the necessity of executing Salman Rushdie had wide repercussions in different countries of the world; including the march of the people of Iran, Lebanon, Muslims of England and Türkiye in defense of this ruling. Also, Mustafa Mahmoud Mazeh, a 21-year-old Lebanese youth, tried to kill Salman Rushdie after Imam Khomeini’s verdict was issued on 14 August 1368. was killed After Imam Khomeini issued the death sentence, Salman Rushdie was forced to live in hiding, and as he wrote in his memoirs, even his personal relationships with his wife and child were affected by the death sentence, and even his apology for upsetting the people did not help.
However, the center of “Rabbat al-Alam al-Islami” in Makkah, although it considered the book Satanic Verses as containing blasphemy and mocking Islam, but did not mention his execution. Also, Abdullah Morshidi, the head of the fatwa board at Al-Azhar Jama’i, in a statement, said that shedding the blood of the author of the Satanic Verses book is against Islamic rules and principles. Sheikh Mohammad Seyed Tantawi considered the best way to face Salman Rushdie is to read his book and write works to clarify his mistakes.
Award determination
Khordad 15 Foundation, after Imam Khomeini’s verdict on Salman Rushdie, set a reward of two million dollars for the person who executes the death sentence of the author of the book Ayat Shaitani.
In September 2013, while reacting to an insulting film against the Holy Prophet, Hassan Saneyi, the representative of the legal guardian and head of the 15 Khordad Foundation, announced the increase of the reward for the execution of Salman Rushdie to 3 million and 300 thousand dollars. According to him, the execution of Salman Rushdie can end insults to Islam and the Holy Prophet in the form of cartoons, articles and films.
Severing relations between Iran and England
After the publication of Salman Rushdie’s death sentence by Imam Khomeini, the British government recalled its diplomats from Iran in protest against the said sentence against one of its citizens, and 12 member countries of the European Economic Union, including Spain, France and Italy, also recalled their ambassadors. They called from Tehran. Also, in March 1367, Iran’s parliament approved the plan to cut ties with England completely.
However, on Mehr 5, 1369, the relations between the two countries were re-established based on the statement of the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of England regarding respect for the religion of Islam.
Critical works
The book criticizing the Satanic Verses conspiracy, written by Ataullah Mohajerani, has been the most detailed and best-selling work in criticizing and refuting the Satanic Verses book. The mentioned book was published in 1368 by Information Institute Publishing House and was reprinted 25 times until 1386 and was translated into English in 1371. According to Mohajerani, Salman Rushdie, like four famous orientalists, such as Theodore Noldeke, William Moore, Montgomery Watt and Goldziher, questioned the authenticity of the Holy Qur’an by accepting the legend of Gharaniq. In the spring of 1368, Nasrullah Pourjavadi, a professor of philosophy in Iran, called the novel “Satanic Verses” boring and disgusting, and considered it to contain mockery of angels, swearing at God’s prophets, especially the Prophet of Islam, his companions, and his wives. Referring to a part of Satanic Verses, Pourjavadi believes that Salman Rushdie used allusions and allusions in this book to humiliate Iran’s Islamic Revolution.
In a 40-page booklet written on 26 Ramadan 1409 AH, Mohammad Sadeghi Tehrani called Salman Rushdie a contemporary devil. Sadeghi Tehrani believes that Salman Rushdie not only talked about the Prophet of Islam, but also about Gabriel, the companions of the Prophet and also the wives of the Prophet and slandered them.
Mustafa Hosseini Tabatabai published a 40-page booklet titled “Salman Rushdi’s Humiliation” in the fall of 1368, and considered Salman Rushdie’s work to be a kind of political conspiracy that is far from the world of knowledge and research. Hosseini Tabatabai considered the book of Satanic Verses to be a continuation of the long-standing enmity with Islam, after the Crusades, after which Christians created false and ugly legends about the Prophet of Islam to make the face of Islam and Muslim culture ugly.
Source: Wiki Shia
منبع: www.khabaronline.ir
