Salaam,
Western media, including many government officials rushed headlong to support this man (Rushdie) to defend his work under the pretext of 'freedom of speech.' It was yet another occasion of the 'double standard' the west has been playing against Islam. One month prior to the publication of Rushdie's book, the partisans of free speech violated the freedom of expression when they banned the book, Spy Catcher by Peter Write. Why? Because it was against their interest!
Rushdie not only reviled Islam, but also others. He wrote filthy things about blacks, Hindus, Budhhists, women, and used the *F* word countless times. In spite of such filthy expressions in his book, he received a literary award as the best among writers and novelists!
Victoria Gleninng in the Times wrote: "Rushdie has the power of description, and we succumb."
Bill Buford, in the Sunday Times, called his work "A masterpiece."
Hyam Maccoby, in the Sunday Telegraph wrote--"command of variety of English --and width of intellectual reference have been well exercised before, but never on such a scale"
This only goes to prove 2 things:
1) Either the intellectuals of the west have lost their sense of judgment
or
2) They have also started acting develish like Rushdie to recognize such filthy words as *F*; S***t; B***h worthy of receiving the literary award and be classified as the "Masterpiece."
We can also note a few of the many other books that have been banned as well, such as:
1) Richard Hardwood "Did 6 Million Really Die"
2) John Steinbeck "The Grapes of Wrath" (Banned in many places of the U.S.)
3) Frank Snepp "Decent Interval"
We can see that Freedom of Expression/Speech is limited and is only used for the interest of authoritative officials.