Book triggers spate of bomb threats

Press, 25 January 1989, Page 35

Book triggers spate of bomb threats

NZPA-Reuter New York

A new book, described by Muslims as blasphemous, is the centre of a literary storm, with its United States publisher receiving bomb threats and thousands of irate letters.

Salman Rushdie’s “The Satanic Verses” has sparked controversy round the world. It has been banned in India, South Africa, Pakistan and other countries with large Muslim populations. More than 1000 Muslims in Britain burned copies of the book.

Rushdie’s United States lawyer, Martin Garbus, said the Indian-born author still planned to go to New York next month to read from his work in spite of the threats. It is being published by Viking Penguin. The novel is described as a “surreal hallucinatory feast,” whose central story concerns a prophet named Mahoud who

founds a religion that resembles Islam.

Muslims say the book offends their religion and their prophet Muhammad.

Rushdie, who lives in London, won Britain’s prestigious Booker Prize in 1981 for the novel “Midnight’s Children.”

Garbus said the Federal Bureau of Investigation was investigating the bomb threats.

"It is my hope that with the F.8.1.’s involvement the case can be resolved. The death threat and bomb threats are serious,” said Garbus, adding that the threatening letters originated in New York and in Detroit, Chicago and Houston. The F. 8.1. had no comment but New York police said the investigation was continuing. "They’re trying to isolate factors,” a police officer, Joseph Gallagher, said. “Viking was getting calls and one of the phone .threats named the pub-

lisher by name. There were threats of bombing the building itself.”

The Book of the Month Club, which will offer the book to its 1.5 million members, said it would continue to promote it in spite of the threats.

An earlier instance in which Muslims demanded the withdrawal of a "blasphemous” work ended in violence.

In 1977 the screening in Washington of a film called "Muhammad, Messenger of God,” sparked violence when gun and machete-wielding Hanafi Muslims took dozens of hostages, killed a radio reporter and wounded several others. One of the Muslims’ demands was that the film be withdrawn from circulation. It was halted, but only temporarily.

Orthodox Islamic interpretation of the Koran strictly prohibits any pictorial representation of the prophet Muhammad.