He was probably never safe, per se, but Salman Rushdie was at least able to ferry himself between his residence in New York, and another frequent haunt, London, with only moderate concern for his wellbeing.
But more than 20 years after radical Islamists put a fatwa—i.e., a hit—on Rushdie’s head for his writing of The Satanic Verses in 1988, Muslim clerics in India want to let it be known that he is still unwelcome.
He is slated to be an honored attendee at India’s Jaipur literary festival between January 20th and 24th, but according to Reuters, but Muslim cleric Maulana Khalid Rashid Farangi Mahali stepped up to insist—perhaps less violently, this time—that Rushdie be denied a travel visa. Says Mahali:
“India is a country where the sentiments of each community and caste are respected and therefore such a man should not be permitted to come to the country.”
Of course, India permits Indian-born people to travel freely in their country, so as Rushdie pointed out on Twitter, “for the record, I don’t need a Visa.”
Moreover, according to the CIA World Factbook, just over 13% of Indians claim Islam as a religion, while more than 80% are Hindu. Needless to say, in this case and in others, India has never made a practice of banning its citizens for statements deemed to be offensive by its minority religions.
Until further notice, Rushdie will be able to travel freely within and without India—but with no guarantee of safety.
