From Fatwa to Jihad

The Rushdie Affair and Its Legacy

De: Kenan Malik

Narrado por: Lyndam Gregory

Twenty 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. 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.

"Malik’s big idea is that multiculturalism – by which he means organised ethnic interest groups – has led to a culture of grievance which renders 'secular and progressive arguments less sayable'. The word 'multiculturalism' stirs outrage as reliably as stories about straight bananas in Europe. The fact that an investigation into its history ends with the Birmingham Chinese Society should give us pause for thought. One legacy of the Rushdie affair is that it has revived debate over the future of multi-ethnic, multi-faith states. Those who believe that pluralist nations end in disaster do not need straw men like 'multiculti' to disguise their views. Why allow them to duck the debate so easily?"
--Nicholas Blincoe, Daily Telegraph

©2009 Kenan Malik (P)2010 Audible Ltd

Reseñas de la Crítica

"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)

Great book, annoying narration

Would you listen to From Fatwa to Jihad again? Why?

No, I would buy the text version and read it. The book itself is excellent so far (I am about half way through), but the narrator uses highly exaggerated and often sarcastic tones, particularly when others are being quoted, which gives the audio book an annoyingly cartoon-ish quality which is entirely out of sync with the subject matter.

What other book might you compare From Fatwa to Jihad to and why?

Islam and the Myth of Confrontation by Fred Halliday, an excellent work which tears down Huntington's mind numbingly shallow 'clash of civilizations' thesis.

How could the performance have been better?

See above