So I am reading ‘Shame’ nowadays. Shame a novel by Salman Rushdie.
THis is the first time I have read any of his books. Though I have read some articles that appeared in the NewYork Times but didn’t find them stimulating and felt it was the same rhetoric…However, going through this book, I now want to get my hands on Midnights Children by him.
For now, has anyone read the book? How did you find it?
Well, when I got hold of the book (mind you my director, quite an enlightened person told me to cover the book with some newspaper or anyother paper, lest somebody sees the name of Salman Rushdie and create problems for me. But Sir, this isn’t Satanic Verses, I replied. No, that doesn’t make any difference. You ought to be careful anyways. I know it is banned in Pakistan but many people have it. I would say the intellectuals and the elite class has no problem in getting the book. )
ANyways, So far I have found SHAME pretty interesting. Sometimes, one feels like hating him, disgusted at the way he deals with issues pertaining to our country( though thats just a depiction of reality), his condescending tone… but somehow the events are brought in his story with great ease…I wonder how original it is… half lifted; with a good doze of urdu words that help him further his story while they also relate to Our story.
I mean when I took it, I didn’t have the slightest idea that it is about PAkistan. But after reading a chapter , I got a hint. As the story progressed, one finds that it is indeed about PAkistan. For those who know the political history of PAkistan, it is an easy read. One can easily make linkages, draw conclusions. I am not sure but can we call it a ‘political allegory’…
Minnerva,
Ive always wondered about what it is that makes muslims hate Salman Rushdie so much. I mean ive always heard of him as the world's most famous living blasphemist and that Iran has isued a death warrant against him and so on, anything realted to him is considered taboo, maybe rightly. i have never had a chance to lay hands on any of his books. I'm not even sure what the name of his most famous blasphemic work was; was it 'satanic verses'? though one may avoid reading the crap in order to keep away from the evil, which does appear reasoning and logical but is infact evil, but i would like to read the book and know for myself what it was that he said. what his ideas are, what his philosophies are. i have no doubt that he is a blasphemist and being a muslim, under islamic law, he must be executed and that he is an enemy of Pakistan and that he is fed by anti Islam and anti pakistan elements, thats the only reason he keeps coming up with his publications and is considered imp in the west. he bashes islam and pakistan and that's feeding him.
have you read his most famous book? what does he say? i'd like to read it, but since its banned here, dont know where to get it...?
We read a piece by him for our humanities course in freshman year. I remember it mentioned Pakistan, but I didn't find that work offensive. One of my friends has met him and she told me he's a really eloquent speaker.
I haven't read the Satanic Verses.
I don't know too much about him, don't have enough knowledge about him or his works. Just know about the fatwa.
However, writing blasphemy is offensive I think. I mean why write things which you know are going to hurt and offend deeply the religious sentiments of so many people? Is it a bait for attention? I don't know. At the very least it is provocative.
I have read this book. Although it as an interesting read, I found Rushdie's tone very sarcastic- to the extent of being infuriating at times! I figured it was about Gen Zia and Bhutto but he took his taunts a bit too far and that ruined it for me. I haven't read Satanic Verses but I think in that book, he also got too carried away with his sarcasm to the extent that it became insulting.
It is an interesting read but I agree with your point of view too, Khattana.
Haris, I haven't read 'Satanic Verses' and I do not think I would ever. Thats just my decision, however, I personally do not think reading such a book is blasphemous because I believe its only people who do not have strong faith can be influenced by such works. For a critical review and also if one needs to criticise something on logical grounds, formulate a rebuttle of something, one has to read and go through the actual work in order to come up with an answer.
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*Originally posted by Minerva: *
It is an interesting read but I agree with your point of view too, Khattana.
Haris, I haven't read 'Satanic Verses' and I do not think I would ever. Thats just my decision, however, I personally do not think reading such a book is blasphemous because I believe its only people who do not have strong faith can be influenced by such works. For a critical review and also if one needs to criticise something on logical grounds, formulate a rebuttle of something, one has to read and go through the actual work in order to come up with an answer.
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i absolutely agree with you minerva.
i also think that the way we reacted to salman rushdie was highly counterproductive. From people who have read this book..i've gotten the general impression that it isnt even very well written. if we hadnt made such a ruckus..it might not even have made the 'impact' it did.
i also think that the way we reacted to salman rushdie was highly counterproductive. From people who have read this book..i've gotten the general impression that it isnt even very well written. if we hadnt made such a ruckus..it might not even have made the 'impact' it did.
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tru.. if we havent made such a fuss.. it would not have taken such an impact.. but haev thought of the good side.. unlike christianity.. ppl are unable to write **** books about islam.. they know wats goin to happen to them.. if we had not sayin anythin.. he would writin even more dispicable books.. even though hes livin in west.. he is still under death warant by muslims..
just a bereif history about himm and wat made him write tha book...
durin 1920's i think it is.. his parents send him to UK.. (his parents were preacticin muslims).. he was sent coz his parents thought.. if he got studies from tehre.. he might come back and get a good job in india.. since he was only about 7 or 10 at that time... he did not have any thinkin for himself.. he was sent to Christian school.. so the priests their filled his head with all that crap about islam.. which he expressed in his book..
so it was relevent to shut him up.. i dono about tha paki book.. but i dono how a paki can read a book which he knows is anti-pak book.. anyway.. everyone has their own intelectuals..
I have read couple of his articles (post 9/11) in NY times. Seemed pretty good. I picked his Satanic Verses. Read couple of chapters and then threw it away. As the book starts, the premise of the story is pretty good. But then he goes on and on driveling in an unnecessarily "literarily complex" lingo that the average reader is probably lost in making the connection. I didn't find it an interesting read. Sorta pretentious. Have no desire to pick it up again so far. Not my typa writer.
so is 'satanic verses' written as a nonfiction work or is it threaded like a piece of fiction revolving around facts or whatever...?
and speaking of Tasneeam nassreen, ive heard alot about her too, is she an equal basphemist...?
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*Originally posted by Haris Zuberi: *
so is 'satanic verses' written as a nonfiction work or is it threaded like a piece of fiction revolving around facts or whatever...?
and speaking of Tasneeam nassreen, ive heard alot about her too, is she an equal basphemist...?
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yeah she's supposed to be... there are fatwas written up against her...
there's a lot about her in the book 'broken bangles'
I read a couple of pages of Satanic Verses…There is no doubt he is deliberately insulting our faith…Only a moron wouldn’t see that…I have no clue why he flipped his lid like that…
On the other hand if you read his ‘Midnight’s Children’, you’d see he really is a good writer…His story telling technique is very good and from start to finish you don’t feel the slightest slack in the story…Too bad he screwed up so bad…
May Allah :swt: punish him fiercely for his indisrections, but the man can write…
abu jahal was a very good speaker too....
was called abu ilm cuz of his intellectual prowess....
but i dont think muslims preferred listening to his bright ideas....
how can u tolerate reading anything from a man who throws mud at ur religion????
May Allah Mian show him the way... (if he has been led astray)
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sadzz have u read the satanic verses? do u know how much humiliation muslims had to go thru bcos of that book?
i dont hope Allah (swt) just punishes him, i hope that mans mutilated, castrated, tortured, maimed, hung, ripped to shreds by a million dogs...the list goes on
sadzz have u read the satanic verses? do u know how much humiliation muslims had to go thru bcos of that book?
i dont hope Allah (swt) just punishes him, i hope that mans mutilated, castrated, tortured, maimed, hung, ripped to shreds by a million dogs...the list goes on
Lajawab, yeah he can write
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no i havent read them... but i still dont think we has humans have the right to judge someone like that...
^ :)
i wouldve said the exact same thing that was before i read quotes from the book,
trust me you wontbe feeling the same way after ure religions been dragged through the mud and all the western leaders announce that its award winning stuff