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Post by oxfordsimon on Aug 12, 2022 16:11:59 GMT
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Post by jojo on Aug 12, 2022 17:00:11 GMT
It's awful. I hope he's OK.
He's had this Fatwa against him for so long, and I remember it being a big deal in the early days, but over time it's become a titbit of information about him and some of us (me) have been guilty of not taking it seriously enough. It seems surreal to think that someone has finally acted on it. Of course we can't be sure what's happened yet, but it's just awful.
Freedom of speech is so important, and protecting and respecting the freedom of speech of others, especially those we disagree with, is something we've not been good enough at lately.
Edit: just reading the latest and it looks like it was a stab wound to the neck and he was taken to hospital by helicopter, so clearly serious.
The added detail in the article describes that some who translated the book had already been murdered, which I'd somehow managed to miss. Very scary stuff.
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Post by oxfordsimon on Aug 12, 2022 17:07:56 GMT
Multiple stab wounds to the neck. He is still alive. Fingers crossed for a positive outcome
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Post by sfsusan on Aug 13, 2022 12:09:46 GMT
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Post by talkingheads on Aug 15, 2022 19:28:39 GMT
Bloody hell. Have been at the Fringe so have missed out on a lot of news. This is horrible, but glad to see he's awake and talking. To my shame I've never actually read his work and it's a gaping gap in my book collection. I might try and track down a copy of Midnight's Children at some point.
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Post by oxfordsimon on Aug 15, 2022 19:37:37 GMT
I got the Satanic Verses audiobook. I have the hardback somewhere but thought the audiobook might be easier
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1,185 posts
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Post by joem on Aug 20, 2022 23:40:57 GMT
I have read all his books. "Midnight's Children" and "Shame" are, for me, his masterpieces. "The Satanic Verses" I enjoyed the least but to have been victimised for decades and hounded and now almost murdered is a sign that we cannot afford to accept any kind of censorship in non-violent freedom of expression, especially where fiction is concerned. We must accept that we are all liable to find someone else's opinions offensive at some point but so long as this does not amount to concerted targeting of specific individuals it cannot be censored and any disagreements need to be through words and debate, not threats and violence.
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