Freedom

Freedom is a major component of the Western cultural tradition, especially in the United States and the United Kingdom. Freedom occupies a prominent and major place in Salman Rushdie's memoir, Joseph Anton. Freedom in part consists of the ability to write, speak, and present one's beliefs and thoughts clearly. This is what Rushdie exercises when he composes The Satanic Verses. Yet it is these very freedoms that come under attack by radical members of the Muslim community, who condemn the book and demonize Rushdie. Indeed, hatred of Rushdie and his book go so far as to have Iran issue a fatwa against Rushdie, calling for his death. Rushdie's crime is that he has written something with which Islamists disagree.

Rushdie is taken into protective custody and his own freedoms restricted in order to preserve his life. Nevertheless, Rushdie rails against radical Islam, continues to write, and opposes his...