I read The Satanic Verses and I remember it well. It is a good book, beautifully written, using the literary device of magic realism to deliver a thoughtful critique of radical Islamic doctrine and urging that Muslims should be able to be Muslims but say goodbye to the seventh century and live rationally and humanely in the world of today.
The title of the book refers to the verses in the Koran which describe Mohammed briefly expressing some tolerance for the presence of the ancient icons of Moon-worship in the holy sanctum.
One quote from The Satanic Verses sticks in my mind. Mohammed’s young wife Ayesha notes how convenient Mohammed’s visions seem to be.
“This God of yours gets right onto it whenever you have a problem,” the fictional Ayesha says. (Quoted from memory, I hope accurately). That’s not hate and it sure is no reason, if any there were, for stabbing an old man in the eye. Salman Rushdie made a reasonable point which a knife wielding attempted murderer (very suspiciously doing the dirty work for the CIA/MI6/Mossad) has only proven right. Calling on God to justify savagery is evil and will produce nothing but evil and shame.
Talk of Salman Rushdie being an agent of Western imperialism is moronic. The agency of Western imperialism is terrorism feeding on Islamism and it is orchestrated principally by US and UK and Israeli secret Intelligence. The attack on Rushdie is very convenient for those who want to see Iran under siege and unable to make progress toward normalization. The perpetual terrorism and tension all through the region is in the interest of US neocons and the State of Israel and, most of all, US military industrial profiteers.
The American neocons and the Israelis were and are the creators and funders of Al-Qaeda and ISIS. The American invasion of Iraq on a pack of lies was the debacle of debacles in 2003 which results in this festering war without end. ISIS and their fellow barbarians have killed uncounted Muslims. And today the attempted murder of Salman Rushdie is very specifically convenient for the political ambitions of Rishi Sunak.