Rushdie Strike Shuts Down Kashmir

Many Kashmiris accuse Rushdie of hurting the feelings and religious sentiments of Muslims all over the world with his book "The Satanic Verses", published in 1988.

In Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, most of the educational institutions, business stores, and offices remained closed on Friday in protest. Bookshops in Kashmir removed all the author's books from their shelves.

Rushdie has a link to Kashmir. His maternal grandparents were from the region and he spent many childhood summers there. The plot of his last novel, "Shalimar the Clown", is entirely set in Kashmir, focussing on Kashmiri heritage, arts, lifestyle, and also the political turbulence. This hasn't protected him from criticism in the volatile region.

Unacceptable to criticise the Prophet

Mufti Bashir-du-Din, the government-appointed head of Kashmir's Islamic court, has renewed a fatwa issued against the writer in 1989. Expressing his concern over the British decision to honour Rushdie, the Mufti told Deutsche Welle he wasn't against honouring writers.

"But, as far as Salman Rushdie is concerned," he explained, "he has written blasphemous remarks about Islam and prophet Muhammad in his novel. The decision taken by Queen Elizabeth to award knighthood to Salman Rushdie has bruised the emotions and religious sentiments of the entire Muslim community."

Asked why Muslims were often accused of being intolerant because they organised protests and chose extreme ways to exhibit their anger, Mufti Bashir-du-Din said that Muslims were tolerant but it was unacceptable to criticise the Prophet.

Protests justified

Many columnists and journalists also believe that the protests are justified. Arguing in favour of the strike, Arshid Mailk, a Kashmiri columnist, said "literature is for the whole of mankind and any literature that hurts the sentiments of any community should not be encouraged."

Another Kashmiri journalist, Afsana Rashid, agreed: "Every community has the right to protest, if anything is written against them or anything hurts their sentiments."

Call to read Rushdie

However, some people in Kashmir say Muslims should protest neither against Britain nor against the author. Faisul Yaseen is a local journalist who thinks the best way to protest is to actually read Rushdie's books.

"I think the people who issued the Fatwa have probably not read the books at all," he said. "If they have not read them, they don't know the context and issuing a fatwa doesn't make sense. They should ask people to read the book instead."

But this advice is not being heeded by hundreds of protestors across the Muslim world, some of whom are calling for the writer's death.