.... There is so much more to this bizarre story than most of us know, and Fatwa tells it vividly. Presenter Mobeen Azhar and producer Chloe Hadjimatheou spend a lot of time explaining the domestic context, especially the feelings of alienation that had long been bubbling up in Britain’s Asian communities. Although Rushdie himself declined to be interviewed, we hear from his publishers and friends, as well as his enemies – including the so-called “mad mullahs” (still jovially unrepentant) who organised a public book-burning outside Bradford town hall, and were amazed when this failed to inspire public sympathy.
It should have been possible to feature all of these diverse and fascinating voices without creating an atmosphere of moral relativism. But the vital argument on the Rushdie side – that freedom of expression is the foundational principle of every democratic society, without which all other human rights wither away – is barely articulated on Fatwa.
“This is the story of how one book forced everyone to take a side,” intones Azhar at the start of one episode. Er, no – it didn’t. A novel can’t force anyone to do anything, and neither can a novelist. To point the finger at Rushdie, instead of the religious leader who ordered his assassination, is absurd. [The Telegraph] Read more
