In some senses, the cleavages that were wrought by the Satanic Verses controversy have only widened. France — more egalitarian than Britain, more cultured than America — has arguably been at the frontline of the “clash of civilisations”. Hence, a Muslim citizen — in India, as much as in France — is defined by her Muslimness more than her Indian-ness or French-ness. John Le Carre, the greatest exponent of the espionage novel who died earlier this month, took exception to what he saw as the pointless provocations of The Satanic Verses. It was not Le Carre’s case, nor is it of this article, that bigotry, violence and terror do not deserve a response.

Source: Indian Express December 24, 2020 21:33 UTC