For Rushdie

For Rushdie contains the first collection of texts by Arab and Muslim writers from Maghreb to the Middle East, from Iran, Turkey, from Bangladesh, and the former Soviet Union, who express their support for both Rushdie and the right to free expression. This collection represents an unprecedented political act. Not content merely to shed new light on the Rushdie affair, this work opens a free space for communication. Several writers pointedly draw attention to the threats and accusations suffered by many intellectuals today at the hands of religious extremists. Several recall the murders of the Egyptian writer Farag Fouda last year and the Algerian writer Tahar Djaour in May, while others warn of the deepening confrontation between secular freedoms and Islamic fundamentalism. Many of the writers themselves have been forced into exile. Many draw attention to the reactions in the West to Rushdie's case. All condemn the violence now associated with the repression of free speech.