It seems that the right of freedom of speech that was enshrined in numerous constitutions is now under attack by religious institutions. Salman Rushdie attackconstitutionenshrine Change image and share on social
In the '50s, listening to Elvis and others on the radio in Bombay - it didn't feel alien. Noises made by a truck driver from Tupelo, Mississippi, seemed relevant to a middle-class kid growing up on the other side of the world. That has always fascinated me. Salman Rushdie 50salienbombay share on social
Writers shouldn't have lives that are interesting. It gets in the way of your work. Salman Rushdie interestlivework Change image and share on social
A purpose of our lives is to broaden what we can understand and say and therefore be. Salman Rushdie broadenlivepurpose Change image and share on social
Certainly, poverty and economic decline have a lot to do with the so-called rage of Islam. You've got all these young men in countries which are economically in bad shape. The idea that they might be able to make a good living and get married and have a family, a decent life, seems very remote to a lot of people in a lot of the world. Salman Rushdie badcallcountry share on social
The Muslim population in India is, largely speaking, not radicalised. From the beginning, they were always very secular-minded. Salman Rushdie beginindialargely Change image and share on social
If you take a look at history, you will find that the understanding of what is good and evil has always existed before the individual religions. The religions were only invented by people afterwards, in order to express this idea. Salman Rushdie evilexistexpress share on social
The problem of telling contemporary history is that your message gets outdated. Salman Rushdie contemporaryhistorymessage Change image and share on social
Throughout human history, the apostles of purity, those who have claimed to possess a total explanation, have wrought havoc among mere mixed-up human beings. Salman Rushdie apostlebeingclaim Change image and share on social
The mistake of the West was to put the Sauds on the throne of Saudi Arabia and give them control of the world's oil fortune, which they then used to propagate Wahhabi Islam. Salman Rushdie arabiacontrolfortune Change image and share on social