Salman Rushdie had the right to write The Satanic Verses. The next Salman Rushdie will have the right to write the next Satanic Verses. The Salman Rushdie that follows after that will have the right to write their version of The Satanic Verses. Pity and contempt are reserved for state actors and state-influenced actors who might hear the words of the Prophet (PBUH) — “Powerful is not he who knocks the other down, indeed powerful is he who controls himself in a fit of anger” — and decide to head in the opposite direction. Empathy is reserved for the breadth of time Rushdie has spent as a geopolitical pawn at the expense of the nameless quietudes that make up an otherwise lived life.
Share this post
Internet Time Capsule #41: A Soundsuit Goes…
Share this post
Salman Rushdie had the right to write The Satanic Verses. The next Salman Rushdie will have the right to write the next Satanic Verses. The Salman Rushdie that follows after that will have the right to write their version of The Satanic Verses. Pity and contempt are reserved for state actors and state-influenced actors who might hear the words of the Prophet (PBUH) — “Powerful is not he who knocks the other down, indeed powerful is he who controls himself in a fit of anger” — and decide to head in the opposite direction. Empathy is reserved for the breadth of time Rushdie has spent as a geopolitical pawn at the expense of the nameless quietudes that make up an otherwise lived life.