Novelist and critic Salman Rushdie talked about the reasons Westerners and secular liberals have, in many instances, failed to respond effectively to the threat to human rights posed by radical Islam. He also discussed the roots of artistic inspiration and the responsibility of a writer who stands at the crossroads of what has been described as a “clash of civilizations.” His most recent novel, Shalimar the Clown, delves into the roots of terrorism as it plays out in the life of a Hindu wife and a Muslim husband living at just such a crossroads. Mr. Rushdie called for a reform movement inside Islam. He received death threats from the Iranian government after the 1988 publication of his fourth novel, The Satanic Verses, and argued that it is an individual’s right to question a group’s core beliefs. He criticized the new culture in both Europe and America that denounces the use of terms such as Islamic terrorism and Islamic fascism. After his presentation the author responded to audience members' questions.


“An Evening with Salman Rushdie: Secular Values, Human Rights and Islamism” was the first lecture in the annual “Voices of Reason” series presented by the Center for Inquiry New York City and co-sponsored by the New York Society for Ethical Culture.