Salman Rushdie wrote a number of books. Which work prompted the issuance of a fatwa against him by Ayatollah Khomeini?

• A. The shah and allah
• B. The dwelling ride
• C. The lost hadiths of Aisha
• D. The Satanic Verses

Answer: (D)

This question tests understanding of a historic clash between literature and religious authority, and how a single book can provoke a powerful response that goes beyond the world of writing. The work that triggered the fatwa is The Satanic Verses, published in 1988. Many Muslims found parts of it blasphemous toward Islam and the Prophet Muhammad, which led Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini to issue a fatwa in 1989 calling for Rushdie’s death. A fatwa is a religious ruling that, in this context, urged Muslims to kill the author, producing widespread danger, controversy, and pressuring publishers and readers worldwide. That connection between the novel and the decree is what makes it the correct answer. The other titles are not linked to this event.