Episode sixteen: Keenan Malik- ‘From Fatwah to Jihad’

Keenan Malik is an Indian-born British writer, lecturer and broadcaster, trained in neurobiology and the history of science . he is also a writer, lecturer and broadcaster and a  presenter of Analysis, BBC Radio 4’s flagship current affairs programme and a panelist on the Moral Maze.

It is 20 years since the late Ayatollah Khomeini declared that everyone involved in the publication and sale of Salman Rushdie’s novel The Satanic Verses should be killed. Keenan Malik’s book FROM FATWAH TO JIHAD – The Rushdie Affair and Its Aftermath attempts to understand the legacy of its publication  and questions the  notions of political correctness it has led us into in our debates about cultural differences.

Keenan opened our interview by explaining the context for his book and the significance of its publication date. Because it is such  an important  and complex issue , Keenan’s read and interview will be our whole show this week.

Music Track : ‘ Bollyrock ‘by Fourplay from Cd ‘Now to   the Future’

Keenan Malik was recorded at the Byron Writers Festival 2017