# So I just finished "Satanic Verses"... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 12, 2007, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-finished-satanic-verses/387760 "2007-01-12T22:08:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Birdmonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/71e660/32.png) [@Birdmonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Birdmonster)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2007, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-finished-satanic-verses/387760/1 "2007-01-12T22:08:22Z")
…and I was wondering: why was there a price on Rushdie’s head? Specifically, what in this book was so incredibly heretical that it prompted that much ire? ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2007, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-finished-satanic-verses/387760/2 "2007-01-12T22:42:00Z")
The parts people found controversial were in Farishta’s dream about the “Messenger” (i.e. Mohammed), and the way that he and his followers were portrayed. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2007, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-finished-satanic-verses/387760/3 "2007-01-12T22:42:25Z")
[Link.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rushdie#The_Satanic_Verses_controversy) Fairly straightforward…nutballs take exception to fiction, issue fatwah. I actually bought my copy of the book from Cody’s in Berkeley the day before it was firebombed for selling it. ---
**Author:** ![Birdmonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/71e660/32.png) [@Birdmonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Birdmonster)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2007, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-finished-satanic-verses/387760/4 "2007-01-12T22:56:34Z")
Thanks. That was pretty straightforward. And totally crazy. Good ol’ Khomeini. Thanks for the clue I desperately needed (read: check Wikipedia you buffoon) ---
**Author:** ![Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4da419/32.png) [@Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gala_Matrix_Fire)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2007, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-finished-satanic-verses/387760/5 "2007-01-13T00:27:55Z")
What Wikipedia says is different from what I remember. As I remember it, in _the Satanic Verses_, instead of the angel Gabriel delivering God’s word to Muhammad, it is really Satan. And I only read the book about ten years ago. Admittedly, it was almost too artsy to understand, but that’s the way I remember it. So, “the religious figure you worship is really Satan,” was the message and I can see why people found it offensive and blasphemous. Christians probably don’t enjoy reading novels that protray Christ as Satan, either. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2007, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-finished-satanic-verses/387760/6 "2007-01-13T00:33:32Z")
A study guide (in .pdf format) is available at [http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/anglophone/satanic\_verses/svnotes.pdf](http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/anglophone/satanic_verses/svnotes.pdf) ---
**Author:** ![SSG\_Schwartz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SSG\_Schwartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SSG_Schwartz)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2007, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-finished-satanic-verses/387760/7 "2007-01-13T00:36:31Z")
[QUOTE=bluethree] What Wikipedia says is different from what I remember. As I remember it, in _the Satanic Verses_, instead of the angel Gabriel delivering God’s word to Muhammad, it is really Satan. And I only read the book about ten years ago. Admittedly, it was almost too artsy to understand, but that’s the way I remember it. So, “the religious figure you worship is really Satan,” was the message and I can see why people found it offensive and blasphemous. Christians probably don’t enjoy reading novels that protray Christ as Satan, either. [/QUOTE] It wasn’t Satan writing the verses, but a common man who was dreaming about the Mosiac time and he was affecting the lives of the people in his dreams by his dreamng. IIRC the scribe who was writing the verses was also being instricted what to write for political reasons. What I saw that could cause Rushdie problems among the faithful was that the bible could be written and affected by common people. I did love the story though. Sgt Schwartz ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2007, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-finished-satanic-verses/387760/8 "2007-01-13T00:37:55Z")
[QUOTE=bluethree] So, “the religious figure you worship is really Satan,” was the message and I can see why people found it offensive and blasphemous. [/QUOTE] To be fair, the vast riots of noisy protestors hadn’t actually _read_ the book but had only been told it was blasphemous. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2007, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-finished-satanic-verses/387760/9 "2007-01-13T00:43:29Z")
[QUOTE=Bryan Ekers] To be fair, the vast riots of noisy protestors hadn’t actually _read_ the book but had only been told it was blasphemous. [/QUOTE] Just like the Muhammed cartoons! ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2007, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-finished-satanic-verses/387760/10 "2007-01-13T09:26:59Z")
Back when Rushdie was in total isolation, I picked up a book and read it because there was a blurb from him on the back, praising it. After I finished the book, I was sorely tempted to send Rushdie a letter that said, “You really should get out more.” :eek: It was a classic case of overreacting, sort of like the fundies getting their panties in a wad over _The Last Temptation of Christ_ without ever seeing it. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2007, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-finished-satanic-verses/387760/11 "2007-01-13T14:01:49Z")
[QUOTE=mobo85] Just like the Muhammed cartoons! [/QUOTE] I get your point, but I thought that part of the uproar over the cartoons was that they said images of Muhammed should not be shown, period. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2007, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-finished-satanic-verses/387760/12 "2007-01-13T14:22:44Z")
[QUOTE=Ferret Herder] I get your point, but I thought that part of the uproar over the cartoons was that they said images of Muhammed should not be shown, period. [/QUOTE] That is true, but an Egyptian newspaper printed the cartoons and there was no outburst. It was only after someone in the Middle East reprinted the cartoons with a few extra images intentionally designed to offend Muslims that weren’t part of the original set that the controversy started. I’m sure a few Muslims might have protested without actually viewing the cartoons themselves, though. (I’m not making a stereotype against Muslims here, I’m just saying that religious organizations like to jump on the bandwagon without actually knowing what’s really going on.) ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2007, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-finished-satanic-verses/387760/13 "2007-01-14T08:20:31Z")
[QUOTE=Ferret Herder] I get your point, but I thought that part of the uproar over the cartoons was that they said images of Muhammed should not be shown, period. [/QUOTE] When motion capture suits were first developed, a Saudi company wanted one for an animated film of Mohammad’s life they were making. The suit was going to be for Mohammad’s horse. I can’t imagine they’d show his horse, with him not riding it. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2007, 8:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-finished-satanic-verses/387760/14 "2007-01-14T08:42:23Z")
[QUOTE=Tuckerfan] When motion capture suits were first developed, a Saudi company wanted one for an animated film of Mohammad’s life they were making. The suit was going to be for Mohammad’s horse. I can’t imagine they’d show his horse, with him not riding it. [/QUOTE] Well, unless they called it _The Invisible Iman_. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2007, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-finished-satanic-verses/387760/15 "2007-01-14T09:58:23Z")
[QUOTE=Tuckerfan] When motion capture suits were first developed, a Saudi company wanted one for an animated film of Mohammad’s life they were making. The suit was going to be for Mohammad’s horse. I can’t imagine they’d show his horse, with him not riding it. [/QUOTE] IIRC, there was a movie called _Mohammad, Messenger of God_ which managed to indicate Mohammad’s presence on the scene without violating the taboo against depicting him through various circumlocutions, including showing (part of) the horse he was riding with the rider out of frame. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2007, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-finished-satanic-verses/387760/16 "2007-01-14T18:00:42Z")
[QUOTE=bluethree] What Wikipedia says is different from what I remember. As I remember it, in _the Satanic Verses_, instead of the angel Gabriel delivering God’s word to Muhammad, it is really Satan. And I only read the book about ten years ago. Admittedly, it was almost too artsy to understand, but that’s the way I remember it. So, “the religious figure you worship is really Satan,” was the message and I can see why people found it offensive and blasphemous. Christians probably don’t enjoy reading novels that protray Christ as Satan, either. [/QUOTE] Yeah, that was my understanding of it too. [hijack]If you enjoyed it, I strongly recommend you read _The Moor’s Last Sigh_ and/or _Midnight’s Children_. They’re much more plot- rather than content-driven and thus, much more interesting. Well, to me, anyway. [/end hijack] ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2007, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-finished-satanic-verses/387760/17 "2007-01-14T18:18:41Z")
[QUOTE=Birdmonster] …and I was wondering: why was there a price on Rushdie’s head? Specifically, what in this book was so incredibly heretical that it prompted that much ire? [/QUOTE] I tried to read it and I think the reason a “Fatwah” was put on Rushdies head was that it was so incredibly boring ,I dont think the Islamists were even thinking about blasphemy when they said they wanted to kill him. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2007, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-finished-satanic-verses/387760/18 "2007-01-14T21:55:23Z")
[QUOTE=Lust4Life] I tried to read it and I think the reason a “Fatwah” was put on Rushdies head was that it was so incredibly boring ,I dont think the Islamists were even thinking about blasphemy when they said they wanted to kill him. [/QUOTE] LOL – I remember a radio account of some cheesy tell-all book about Princess Diana. The host mentioned some thirteenth-century law that could send Diana’s alleged lover to the gallows, then commented that some critics would like to send the author to the gallows for perpetrating this prose [reads a section that has mercifully left my memory].