Modern Islam has glamorised jihad: Salman Rushdie

Author Salman Rushdie, in an interview with CNN-IBN Deputy Editor Sagarika Ghose, has said that the idea of the holy war seems to be growing popular amongst the youth in economically disadvantaged economies as they are largely unemployed with no means of a good life and jihad gives them a sense of direction. Rushdie’s comments come at a time when anti-US protests have rocked the Middle East, and even some parts in south India, over a movie that is purported to be anti-Islam.

In the special interview held ahead of the release of his memoirs, Rushdie also questioned the growing intolerance within India towards freedom of expression and rubbished reports that his film ‘Midnight’s Children’ has not found an Indian distributor.

Below is the edited transcript of the excerpt from the interview.

Sagarika Ghose: There can’t be two theories of Islam… There’s one true Islam of faith and love and there’s another Islam of the bloody theocracies. Do you believe that’s wrong, that there are no two Islams, there’s just one Islam and that Islam is in crisis?

Salman Rushdie: I think that something has gone seriously wrong. What has now developed is a harsher Islam, partly because of the spread of Wahabi ideas, you know with the help of colossal amount of Saudi oil money, and partly because of the rise of the Ayotalollahs and Shia Islam… Different reasons in different places… Many of these countries are economically very disadvantaged and you know, the prospects for young people to make good lives for themselves and marrying, raising a family… these things are very improbable… and the jihad seems to give them a direction, a purpose, a sense of self-importance and that’s very alluring.

Sagarika Ghose: Do you worry that India is no longer that haven of creative thinking?

Salman Rushdie: Yes, I do. All you have to do is to look at the attacks that have taken place recently. The attack on Ramanujan’s essay about the 300 Ramayanas, the fact that it was removed from Delhi University syllabus, the attack on Rohinton Mistry’s novel, which was immediately removed from the Bombay University syllabus, this attack on the cartoonist for his perfectly okay cartoons… India has such a great tradition of political cartooning, you know, we didn’t just discover this art.

Sagarika Ghose: Do you continue to believe that free speech is absolute and within it includes the right to offend religion?

Salman Rushdie: Yes, I’m tired of religion demanding special privileges, I mean, just get over it. There’s no other idea in the world that demands protection, you know. If ideas are strong, they can stand criticism.

Sagarika Ghose: Your film ‘Midnight’s Children’ has not found an Indian distributor.

Salman Rushdie: I think the press is a little bit ahead of itself. We only showed it in the Toronto Film festival last weekend. You know I saw some stupid stories saying that India was insisting my voiceover narration be taken off the film so that it could be shown – and that’s just garbage.