Talking With David Frost: Salman Rushdie

On February 14, 1994, author Salman Rushdie (The Satanic Verses) "celebrated" his fifth year of survival following the issuance of the "fatwa" or death sentence for perceived blasphemy. Filmed in late 1993, this talk with David Frost comes on the heels of Rushdie's audience with President Clinton and, throughout, he is guardedly optimistic about his future. Although Frost quotes one or two of Rushdie's detractors and brings up the embarrassing issue of Rushdie's desperate conversion to Islam (which he later renounced), the conversation focuses, for the most part, on his political campaign (the term Rushdie uses to describe his efforts) to win the support of foreign countries. He feels that economic sanctions and international political denunciation against Iran would result in the lifting of the "fatwa." Besides politics, Rushdie also discusses living in hiding, touches on changes in his personal thinking, and talks about "the book" itself (his reading of his own portrayal of the origins of Islam in The Satanic Verses is a little spin-doctored on the innocent side--which Frost doesn't let him get away with.) In the final analysis, however, he is adamant on the issue that strikes near and dear to all of our hearts: free speech needs fighting for. That the entire Rushdie affair could even happen in the modern world is repugnant to our idea of civilization; that it has is a reminder of just how thin the veneer of civilization really is. An invigorating discussion. Recommended. (R. Pitman)