8
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
NEWS
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 2005
CULTURE
Author to speak despite threats
BY ADAM LAND
aland@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITER
For almost 10 years, author Salman Rushdie was afraid to leave his home because of a death threat placed on him by Islamic fundamentalists. After years of seclusion, with few public appearances, the worldrenowned author is coming to the University of Kansas on Oct. 6.
The author had a fatwa, or death sentence, placed on him by Ayatollah Khomeini, the spiritual leader of Iran, in 1989. Protesters held demonstrations against Rushdie throughout the world.
"He went into hiding for 10 years," Victor Bailey, director of the Hall Center for the Humanities, said. "He was afraid to walk out his front door."
The author's speech, entitled "Step Across the Line: An Evening with Salman Rushdie," will be at the Lied Center, 1600 Stewart Dr., and is sponsored by the Hall Center
for the Humanities. After the speech there will be a question and answer session, Bailey said.
Rushdie was chosen because of his literary
Rushdie
works and because of his political activism, Bailey said.
"I wanted a speaker who wasn't just a novelist," Bailey said. "But a person who had many other strong feelings of life."
Rushdie's strong feelings in his work have earned him accolades as well as enemies.
His most famous work, "The Satanic Verses," deals with a controversial story about the prophet Muhammad. The book received so much international attention because of its criticism of fundamentalist Islam, according to www.scholars nus.edu. The book was banned in Rushdie's home country of India, and throughout the Islamic world.
"He went into hiding for 10 years. He was afraid to walk out his front door."
Victor Bailey Director of the Hall Center for the Humanities
The Ayatollah put a $1 million price on the assassination of Rushdie, and the bounty was to double by 1997, according to www.rotten.com/library.
During this period he lived in safe house after safe house, aided by British authorities and police. Clerics throughout the world protested and even injured some of the publishers, harming Rushdie's Norwegian publisher outside his home.
The reward for his execution would grow to almost $3 million before 1998 when the Iranian government officially
ended the fatwa. Lesser religious clerics still threaten the author's life, some offering monetary rewards for Rushdie's assassination.
Since the Iranian government lifted the fatwa, the author has come out of seclusion and has begun appearing in public again.
His speech at the University will cover a series of articles he has published, called "Step Across this Line," Bailey said. The topics range from articles about "The Wizard of Oz," to the conflict between Pakistan and India.
The diversity of his experience will make for an engaging evening, Bailey said.
"Rushdie does not just come from a western tradition," Bailey said. "He comes from an eastern tradition also, and that blending makes him very interesting."
The Hall Center for the Humanities is paying for the speech mostly with private donations, but SUA is also contributing to the cost, Bailey
AUTHORS COMING
Sept. 14: Deborah Lipstadt, professor of modern Jewish and Holocaust studies
F Nov. 17: Samantha Power, Pulitzer Prize winner and founding executive director of the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy.
F Feb 16, 2006: Scott Turow, attorney and author of Presumed Innocent.
Source: University Relations
said. The cost for the speech would not be disclosed, Bailey said.
Students and faculty are encouraged to come to see this post-colonial writer talk about his experiences, Bailey said.
The event is open to anyone interested and the ticket price has not yet been set, Bailey said.
- Edited by Erin M. Droste
Can you enjoy the summer
YES! Through KU Independent Study.
You can study any time, any place. You've got nine months, set your pace Flexibility—that's the goal. Get online and enroll!
*Consult your academic advisor before you enroll.*
www.kuce.org/isc·877-404-5823
Find more information, preview courses, and enroll online* at www.kuce.org/isc or call 785-864-7886, toll free 877-404-5823
"A Fresh Mexican Dining Alternative"
Outdoor Patio for Dining & Cocktails!
Lawrence's Newest Mexican Restaurant
Four Signature Margaritas
Four Signature Salsas
HOURS
(food) Sun-Sat: 11am - 10pm
(bar) 8pm until close
534 Frontier·785-856-TAC0[8226]