From Fatwa to Jihad: How the World Changed: The Satanic Verses to Charlie Hebdo

(Paperback, Main)

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Almost thirty years ago, the image of burning copies of Salman Rushdie's The Satanic Verses held aloft by thousand-strong mobs of protestors became an internationally familiar symbol of anger and offence. In From Fatwa to Jihad, Kenan Malik examines how the Rushdie affair transformed the debate worldwide on multiculturalism, tolerance and free speech, helped fuel the rise of radical Islam and pointed the way to the horrors of 9/11 and 7/7.

Reviews

A gripping account of how we went from burning books to bombs on buses. The Rushdie Affair has shaped all our lives. This book shows us how. -- Hanif Kureishi
A thorough and highly readable history of the politics of the Rushdie affair and an important intervention in the current debate on freedom of expression. -- Monica Ali
A riveting political history of contemporary Britain... Impeccably researched, brimming with detail, yet razor-sharp in its argument. -- Lisa Appignanesi * Independent *
Few writers have untangled the paradoxes and unintended consequences of political Islam as deftly as Malik -- Maureen Freely * Washington Post *
Enthralling -- Robert McCrum * Observer *
An admirable piece of reportage... subtle and intelligent -- Stuart Kelly * Scotsman *
Seldom can a book have had a more searing relevance to contemporary events -- Lindsay Johns * New Humanist *

Author Bio

Kenan Malik is a writer, lecturer and broadcaster. He is a presenter of Analysis of BBC Radio 4, and a panellist on The Moral Maze. He has taught at universities in Britain, Europe, Australia and the USA, presented many TV documentaries and writes regularly for newspapers across the world including the New York Times, the Guardian, Guteborgs-Posten and the Australian. His books include The Meaning of Race, Man, Beast and Zombie, Strange Fruit: Why Both Sides are Wrong in the Race Debate and The Quest for a Moral Compass.