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ask how rather than why

Reader comment on item: Why the Death Edict on Salman Rushdie?

Submitted by myth (Germany), Aug 27, 2022 at 18:51

I ask "how" rather than "why". I consider "why" a philosophical question. Let me go for the more practical "how".

The article points out there was no farsi or arabic translation of Salman's book at the time. How did the book come to Khomeini's attention at all given he could not read it? Or rather who brought it to his attention and when. Remember this was the pre-internet age.

Was Khomeini an experienced fatwa-author or was this is a rare, possibly a unique, fatwa. If Khomeini rarely wrote a fatwa what was different this time? If he was a serial fatwa author how does the Rushdie-fatwa relate to the others? Who actually authored the text? How did the fatwa's pubication work its way into Western media given that the West does not read farsi or arabic?

Submitting....

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Daniel Pipes replies:

I addressed many of these topics in my 1990 book, The Rushdie Affair.

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Reader comments (22) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
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2Knee jerk. [37 words]AlbertE.Sep 7, 2022 14:54286096
Illuminating BLum VS Bishara BS [1393 words]GaliAug 29, 2022 18:11285749
Fascist Arab-Islamic Mohamed Dridi smashed the Eyal Haddad's skull with an axe and burned his body [103 words]CarlaAug 29, 2022 07:53285729
ask how rather than why [136 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
mythAug 27, 2022 18:51285661
A question [470 words]DavidAug 27, 2022 17:22285660
1A question [470 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
DavidAug 26, 2022 20:28285640
Conflicting Perceptions of Achieving Global Dominance without Dominant International Plan for Peace [357 words]M ToveyAug 27, 2022 13:56285640
3How to combat Islamism? [53 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
MatsuokaAug 24, 2022 01:15285564
1Entertaining Understanding Islam Without Going to Combat [346 words]M ToveyAug 24, 2022 17:57285564
1Just another day in the Islamic ways and means [93 words]Shmuel HaLeviAug 23, 2022 16:32285542
2The Indian experience is not very different. [68 words]PrashantAug 23, 2022 23:06285542
1Deeper Consideration of Why Any Religion Compells Belief Without Love [178 words]M ToveyAug 23, 2022 13:35285537
3The Mullahs are jousting at windmills [447 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
DaveAug 23, 2022 13:23285536
3The problem is not in the origins of Islam or Muhammad [106 words]PrashantAug 23, 2022 22:56285536
3No, the SOLUTION is the origin of Islam [189 words]DaveAug 24, 2022 12:13285536
2I can see Dave's point and will try to remember it. [186 words]PrashantAug 25, 2022 02:35285536
3Islam is like Shark Week [165 words]DaveAug 25, 2022 14:27285536
Ka'ab. [29 words]AlbertE.Sep 7, 2022 17:31285536
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5Massad and Salman Rushdie (JERUSALEM POST) [89 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
Michael WeissAug 23, 2022 13:13285535
3Why do we have departments of ME studies in so many US universities [89 words]PrashantAug 23, 2022 22:39285535

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