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Fatwa Against Rushdie Set Off Self-Censorship

Edict brought Muslim culture war to the West: Hitchens

By Kevin Spak, Newser Staff

Posted Jan 5, 2009 4:27 PM CST

(Newser) – When Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa against Salman Rushdie, Christopher Hitchens knew what it meant: "This was not just a warning of what was to come,” he writes in Vanity Fair, “it was the warning.” A global culture war, between Muslim fundamentalists and everyone else, had begun. Now Khomeini is dead, but the war persists, aided by the West, which self-censors itself in terror.

There was the Danish cartoon incident, when US news sources refused to reprint the images. Random House dumped a novel about Muhammad’s wife after a single letter of complaint. Terrified of “offending” Muslims, the West is capitulating to fundamentalists and assuming that “the inciters of goons are the authentic representatives of Muslim opinion.” Asks Hitchens: “What could be more ‘offensive’ than that?”

[Images (2)]

[Quotes (3)]

Salman Rushdie poses for a picture before the gala presentation of the Montblanc de la Culture Award in New York, in this May 2, 2007 file photo. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

A portrait of Ayatollah Khomeini is seen in Iran (Wikimedia Commons)

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The culture has twisted itself into a posture of prior restraint and self-censorship in which the grim, mad edict of a dead theocrat still exerts its chilling force. - Christopher Hitchens

Even if Salman’s wife had not been an American, it could be argued that the United States has an interest in opposing state-sponsored terrorism against novelists. - Christopher Hitchens

It is not the job of writers and thinkers to appease the faithful. And the faithful, if in fact upset or offended, are quite able and entitled to explore all forms of protest. Short of violence. - Christopher Hitchens

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COMMENTS

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Showing 2 of 2 comments

Zebraone

Jan 7, 2009 12:24 AM CST

Ah,well!~~~ The 4th Crusade is being generated by the stupid muslim fundamentalist ! ~~~~This time, all that Mohamed wanted is being bastardizded by the idiot radicals!

riffran

Jan 6, 2009 4:19 AM CST

whats in a name? A liberal by any other name will still whine as often.....lol....The fact that "we" don't want to "offend" others, to the point that offensive people get away with wrong doings is pathetic.....I have no problem "Offending" as evidenced by the following statement.....All islamofacsist are sodomizing, heathen, retards, bestiality groupies, ....that being said I probably just ticked of muslims, gays, mentally handicapped and perverts all in one sentence.....lol........If I wasn't so impatient I could go after a few other facets....riff

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Vanity Fair (Source Grid »)

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And he says he won't get married again
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Iran • Islam • Christopher Hitchens • censorship • religion • Salman Rushdie • Satanic Verses • fundamentalism • fatwa • Ayatollah Ali Khamenei • Danish Mohammed cartoons • culture wars

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Fatwa Against Rushdie Set Off Self-Censorship