I roto i te whakautu ki nga whakahe, i runga i 22 Hānuere 1989 Rushdie whakaputaina he tīwae i roto i te Observer i huaina Muhammad "tetahi o nga tohunga nui o te hītori o te ao", engari i tuhia e te ako Islamic mau Muhammad ki te kia tangata, a i roto i kahore ara tino. i mea ia e kore te pukapuka ko "he pukapuka anti-mahi. Ko reira, Heoi, he ngana ki te tuhituhi e pā ana ki te hekenga, ona ahotea me transformations". i runga i 14 Hui-tanguru 1989 <unk> Valentine Day, me te hoki te ra o tona hoa tata Bruce Chatwin's funeral <unk> he fatwā whakahau i te whakaekenga o Rushdie i kauwhautia i runga i Radio Tehran e Ayatollah Khomeini, te kaiārahi wairua o Iran i te wa, karanga i te pukapuka "blasphus ki te Ihirama".
i whakaekehia, i whara kinotia, i patua hoki