Demonstration against Author Salman Rushdie. Bradford UK 1990
ARCHIVE IMAGE 1990: Anti-Rushdie Rally, Leeds UK. 1990 14 January, 1989. Muslims in Bradford, UK, burned a copy of Salman Rushdie's novel 'The Satanic Verses'; a protest at what they regarded as blasphemy which was earlier ignored in the nearby town of Bolton. In the United States, the American publishers received 100,000 letters of protest, even before the book was officially published. Six people were shot dead by police during a demonstration against the book in front of the American Information Centre in Islamabad. On February 14, 1989. The announcement came on Radio Tehran. A 'fatwa' or death threat from Ayatollah Khomeini, the revered spiritual leader of Iran's 50 million Shia Muslims: "'In the name of God the Almighty,' he intoned an announcer. 'There is only one God, to whom we shall all return. I would like to inform all the intrepid Muslims in the world that the author of the book 'The Satanic Verses', which has been compiled, printed and published in opposition to Islam, the Prophet and the koran, as well as those publishers who were aware of its contents, have been sentenced to death. I call on all zealous Muslims to execute them quickly, wherever they may find them, so that no one will dare to insult the Muslim sanctions. Whoever is killed on this path will be regarded a martyr, God willing. In Addition, anyone who has access to the author of the book, but does not have the power to execute him, should refer him to the people so that he may be punished for his actions. May God's blessing be on you all".
Size: 2835px × 4252px
Location: Bradford
Photo credit: © © Garry Clarkson / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: artistic, asylum, blasphemy, bradford, censorship, clarkson, conflict, court, doctrine, fatwa, freedom, hang, hatred, high, iran, muslim, pluralism, protest, religious, rushdie, salman, satanic, secularism, tolerance, verses, writer
