Past Events
- IoI and Bishopsgate Institute, in association with Index on Censorship, present
- From Fatwa and Book-Burning to Jihad and Hate Laws: Twenty Years of Free-Speech Wars
- Venue: Bishopsgate Institute, 230 Bishopsgate, London EC2M 4QH
- Date: February 12, 2009
- Time: 19:00-21:00
- Tickets: £7 / £5 (conc) from http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/events or 020 7392 9220
In February 1989, five months after the publication of The Satanic Verses, Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa against its author Salman Rushdie. It is often seen as a pivotal moment in shaping the landscape of contemporary Western society. So, twenty years on, what is the legacy of the most famous free speech controversy of modern times?
Two speakers will give lectures exploring the impact of the Rushdie affair on our perceptions of free speech, multiculturalism and Islam:
Kenan Malik, author, From Fatwa to Jihad: the Salman Rushdie affair and its legacy (Atlantic Books: 2009)
Tariq Modood MBE, professor of sociology, Bristol University; director, University Research Centre for the Study of Ethnicity and Citizenship
Claire Fox will then chair a panel debating the issues and the audience will also have their say in what promises to be a lively discussion.
Respondents include:
- Jo Glanville, editor, Index on Censorship
- Stephen Law, Provost, Centre for Inquiry London
- Amol Rajan, reporter at the Independent
- Maheila Malik, Reader in Law at King's College London
- Inayat Bunglawala, advisor on Policy and Research at ENGAGE, an initiative designed to encourage British Muslims to interact more effectively in politics and the media