After Sir Salman Rushdie was attacked at an American event last week, book sales for his novel The Satanic Verses saw a surge in popularity.
The 1988 controversial book, , was considered blasphemous and offensive by some Muslims . rose up to number 8 on Amazon’s list of fiction books that were most popular during the week, and was quickly sold out by other book sellers.
The spike in sales was partly due to readers showing solidarity for Sir Salman who has been subject to death threats for decades, including a fatwa over the book.
The paperback edition was sold out as of Wednesday afternoon. The paperback edition was the No. 2 bestseller on Amazon’s Contemporary Fiction and Literature charts, while the audiobook version was the No. 14th spot on Audible.
Amazon’s verified reviewer said last Friday that he bought the product in solidarity with Rushdie.
“No one should be physically attacked because of the words they have written.”
Temporarily out of stock was the paperback edition on Barnes & Noble’s website and Bookshop.org. This marketplace is dedicated to independent bookellers.
It’s almost a week since the 75 year-old Briton, an Indian-born Briton, was airlifted from India to hospital. Briton had been attacked on stage last Friday in Chautauqua State, New York.
According to local officials, Sir Salman was stabbed 12 times in the neck and face. He was taken off a ventilator and received “life-altering injuries”. His son stated that.
In 1988, the Satanic Verses were banned in many countries with large Muslim populations. This includes Iran.
Some scenes in the book show a character based on the Prophet Muhammad. This angered some Muslims who thought it was blasphemous.
Ayatollah Khameni, Iran’s former leader, issued a fatwa (or religious edict) in 1989 calling for Muslims to execute the author.
Continue reading:
Why is Salman Rushdie so controversial?
Life is ‘relatively normal’ now Rushdie said weeks before stabbing
The book was set on fire and the translators were also attacked. Sir Salman was subject to a series of threats over the years and hid for many years.
Iran continues to ban the Satanic Verses, as well as a few other countries.
The 24-year-old man accused of stabbing Sir Salman Hadi Matear has denied the charges of attempted murder and assault.
Matar, speaking from Chautauqua County Jail said that he didn’t like Sir Salman. He also stated that he “attacked Islam” and that he had only read “a few pages” of The Satanic Verses.
He refused to say whether he was inspired or not by the late Ayatollah, citing a warning from his lawyer.
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