India could have done better in its response to Rushdie attack. Diplomatic ties cannot be the only priority!
Famous novelist Salman Rushdie, a man of peace and dealing only in words has been hiding his existence for more than 30 years, ever since Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa against him after the release of his controversial book "The Satanic Verses" which some Muslims deemed to be blasphemous. The book is considered so as it portrayed a fictionalized version of the Prophet Mohammed and an interpretation of the Quran. However, being hunted down like a quarry 34 years after the publication of a book only underscores the institutionalisation of hatred and the outright rejection of the concept of freedom of expression. The New York knife attack puts the author's book and the circumstances behind the author's death threats back in the spotlight. Salman Rushdie was stabbed in the neck and torso while giving a lecture in New York on Friday. This attack was a result of judgement blinded by intolerance. We all are aware of the brutal attack t