Many scholars may disagree that Haroun and The Sea of Stories written by author Salman Rushdie does not tie back to the Fatwa but I believe this children's book was a great way to get across his views on Islamic culture. Haroun and the Sea of Stories is a reflection of the authors time hiding from the fatwa as well as the connections between political and religious figures. Rashid Khalifa and Salman Rushdie are threatened in both fiction and reality; only trying to reclaim their identities.
Salman Rushdie is a Indian British author who has written many books that are mostly based on Indian Culture. His novel, The Satanic Verses, was published in 1988 and happened to be a major controversy between many political leaders throughout several Muslim countries. The Satanic Verses had upset Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who then issued a fatwa (political death threat) on Salman Rushdie on February 14th, 1989.
During his time under police protection he released a Children’s book, Haroun and the Sea of Stories, in 1990. “The story of Haroun and Rashid Khalifa, written by Rushdie in his forced exile, deals with the theme of a writer’s freedom to make up stories” (sen). Rushdie points out that the Satanic Verses are mistaken words of the devil that Mohammad spoke as a part of the Qur’an. Many Muslims said it was sacrilegious and that Rushdie was making a claim that the Qur’an was the work of the devil. During an interview Rushdie said that, “I expected a few mullahs (muslim man or woman) would be offended, call me names, and then I could defend myself in public... I honestly never expected anything like this" (Netton).
Rushdie was not the only author that publicized forms of religion or politics. Naguib Mahfouz was an Arabic literature ...
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.... Rashid no longer had anyone believing in him and you have to wonder if that is how Rushdie felt during his time hiding. This novel represents so much more than a message to the Ayatollah. It shows courage, strength and perseverance when finding yourself and most importantly never letting anyone have the satisfaction of beating you down for your beliefs.
Works Cited
Sen, Suchismita. "Memory, Language, and Society in Salman Rushdie's "Haroun and the Sea of Stories"." Contemporary Literature (): 654. Print.
Netton, Ian Richard. Text and trauma: an East-West Primer. Surrey: Curzon Press, 1996. Print.
Rushdie, Salman, and Aron R. Aji. ""All Names Mean Something": Salman Rushdie's "Haroun" and the Legacy of Islam." Contemporary Literature (): 103. Print.
Rushdie, Salman. Haroun and the sea of stories. New York: Granta Books in association with Viking, 1990. Print.
Print. Doak, Robin. Empire of the Islamic World. Rev. ed.
Moosa, Matti. The Early Novels of Naguib Mahfouz. Gainsville, Fla.: University Press of Florida, 1994. [+] These quotes are taken from an uncited handout given to me by Richard Sutliff that I believe to be from Moosa's book.
Overall, Khaled Hosseini wrote a story, based on experiences from his own life and the history of Afghanistan from the turn of the 20th century until present day. He added the universal human theme of being good again, allowing this book and these characters to appeal to readers everywhere. He also crafted one of the most successful and popular novels in the Afghan American genre. Looking at the The Kite Runner from the outside in, or from the perspective of the author’s life and Afghanistan’s past, it is easy to see that Hosseini manages to open the eyes of the Western reader. A person on this side of the International Date Line is forced to reconsider their general perspective and beliefs about Muslims and Afghanistan after picking up The Kite Runner.
Lafraie, Najibullah (2009). Revolutionary Ideology and Islamic Militancy : The Iranian Revolution and Interpretations of the Quran. Tauris Academic Studies. Retrieved March 23, 2012, from Ebook Library.
Joyce, James. “Araby.” The Norton Introduction to Literature, Shorter Eighth Edition. Eds. Jerome Beaty, Alison Booth, J. Paul Hunter, and Kelly J. Mays. New York: W.W.Norton.
Critics have already begun a heated debate over the success of the book that has addressed both its strengths and weaknesses. The debate may rage for a few years but it will eventually fizzle out as the success of the novel sustains. The characters, plot, emotional appeal, and easily relatable situations are too strong for this book to crumble. The internal characteristics have provided a strong base to withstand the petty attacks on underdeveloped metaphors and transparent descriptions. The novel does not need confrontations with the Middle East to remain a staple in modern reading, it can hold its own based on its life lessons that anyone can use.
To many people stories are just a way to pass time, to escape from reality, that they do not serve any real purpose. However in Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie If there are no stories then many of the characters lives would be changed drastically
In the novel The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini tells a notable coming-of-age story portraying the actions and thoughts of Amir, a penitent adult living in the United States and his reminiscence of his affluent childhood in the unstable political environment of Afghanistan. Throughout the novel Khaled Hosseini uses character description to display his thoughts on sin and redemption.
Joyce, James. "Araby." 1914. Literature and Ourselves. Henderson, Gloria, ed. Boston, Longman Press. 2009. 984-988.
Al Ghazali a significant person in Islam has helped shape Islam to be what it is today - a living religious tradition for the lives of its adherents. His contribution to Islam though his theories, knowledge and works have left a positive impact upon the Islamic world that continues into the present. An everlasting impact upon the faith, Muslims and the expansion of Islam to be one of the most popular religious traditions in the present world for the lives of its adherents is seen as Al Ghazali’s
When discussing the controversial authors of Indian literature, one name should come to mind before any other. Salman Rushdie, who is best known for writing the book “Midnights Children.” The first two chapters of “Midnights Children” are known as “The Perforated Sheet”. In “The Perforated Sheet” Rushdie utilizes magic realism as a literary device to link significant events and their effects on the lives of Saleem’s family to a changing India. In fact, it is in the beginning of the story that the reader is first exposed to Rushdie’s use of magic realism when being introduced to Saleem. “On the stroke of midnight/clocks joined palms” and “the instant of India’s arrival at independence. I tumbled forth into the world”(1711). Rushdie’s description of the clocks “joining palms” and explanation of India’s newfound independence is meant to make the reader understand the significance of Saleem’s birth. The supernatural action of the clocks joining palms is meant to instill wonder, while independence accentuates the significance of the beginning of a new era. Rushdie also utilizes magic realism as an unnatural narrative several times within the story to show the cultural significance of events that take place in the story in an abnormal way.
In his short story, “The Prophet’s Hair,” Salman Rushdie make use of magic realism, symbolization and situational irony to comment on class, religion, and the fragility of human life. The story is brimming with ironic outcomes that add to the lighthearted and slightly fantastic tone. Rushdie’s use of the genre magic realism capitalizes on the absurdity of each situation but makes the events relevant to readers’ lives. In addition, the irony in the story serves as a way to further deepen Rushdie’s commentary on class and religion. Finally, his use of symbolization focuses on the concept of glass, and just how easily it can be broken.
...re humorous form of satire within his novel, Kabir’s satiric works take on a more serious note. While Kabir was illiterate and therefore unable to compose his oral works, his work was still able to be recorded and spread throughout India, making him one of the most popular and quoted poet in India for the last thousand years. While Kabir also had many other types of works, it was his satire that allowed him to deliver his opinion on religion and the society he lived in. According to the Norton Anthology of World Literature, “He [Kabir] is likely to have been persecuted equally by orthodox Hindus, conservative Muslims, and political authorities for his outspoken criticism of society and organized religion.” Kabir had a strong opinion against organized religion and the ascription of human characteristics to God that took away from the purity of God in Kabir’s eyes.
Hamid’s fiction deals with varied issues: from infidelity to drug trade in the subcontinent and, in the light of contemporary developments, about Islamic identity in a globalised world. His first novel, Moth Smoke (2000) won a Betty Trask Award and was shortlisted for the PEN/Hemingway Award in 2000. His other novel, The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2007) was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, the Decibel Award and the South Bank Award for Literature. This book serves as a testament to his elegant style as he deftly captures the straining relationship between America and Pakistan.
The Kite Runner, written by Khaled Hosseini, depicts the life of Amir, a male from Afghanistan, and his maturation through the social and political turmoil that emerged in Afganistan. Although the story is fictitious, the plot and storyline involves political, social, and cultural problems in Afghanistan. The book also provides a small window of contrast to the contemporary problems of terrorism, cultural battles and coup d'etat in the middle east.