New Zealand and the Rushdie Affain

Press, 3 April 1989, Page 17

New Zealand and the Rushdie Affain

'"Tn the last two months “The Satanic Verses,” by Salman Rushdie, has become the most talked about book in the world. Salman Rushdie is a famous Indian writer living in London. He is a British citizen. Rushdie was brought up a Muslim and “The Satanic Verses” is a fantasy about that religion. Muslim people think the novel ridicules their religion and is blasphemous (i.e., they see it as saying offensive and irreverent things against God and religion). The fact that Rushdie gives characters the names of people sacred to the Islamic religion is considered particularly insulting. This insult is considered worse because there is no fictional disclaimer (note saying the story and characters are all imaginary) at the front of the book. In many places the novel has been publicly burned and in Islamabad riots broke out which resulted in six people being killed. Most Muslims who have protested against the book probably have not read it. The cost of $45 a copy would be too expensive *for many to afford.

-'''The Ayatollah Khomeiny (the religious and political leader of Iran) has condemned the book and offered a very large reward to anyone who will kill the author. Ahmed Jibril, the leader

of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, General Command' (one of the most radical of the Palestinian groups), has promised to carry out the threat. Salman Rushdie and his family have been forced to leave their London home and go into hiding. They are being guarded by the police. The 12 countries which belong to the E.E.C. all spoke out strongly against the threat to kill Salman Rushdie. The Western world greatly values freedom of speech and for the leader of one country to try and organise the killing of a citizen of another is a vefy seri-

'Sus matter. Relations between Britain and Iran are already strained and in February Britain withdrew its diplomats from Teheran because of the Rushdie affair. It would seem at first that these events had little to do with New Zealand, but this country has become involved because of trading links with both the E.E.C. and Iran. When David Lange was asked to comment on the affair he said that New Zealand would not break off links with Iran because it would endanger sheepmeat exports. He added that the farmers of this country would not forgive him for putting them out of business over a book published in London. The E.E.C. politicians , were disappointed with this response. They had hoped and expected that New Zealand would support them in their condemnation of the Ayatollah’s threat. E.E.C. foreign ministers publicly criticised Mr Lange’s attitude. They said that New Zealand’s lack of support would mean that there would be less sympathy towards giving this country favourable trading access to Europe. The Minister. of Foreign Affairs, Mr Russell Marshall, has been asked by the British Foreign Secretary, Mr Geoffrey Howe, to recall New Zealand’s Ambassador from Teheran. Mr

Marshall said that New Zealand did not wish to do this; politically, and in trade terms, it was important to maintain diplomatic trade representation in Iran.

The New Zealand Muslim community wants to use the laws of this country to ban “The Satanic Verses.” The community would also like to see more work in New Zealand schools in terms of educating people about discrimination and religious freedoms.