A Mirror For Our Times: 'The Rushdie Affair' and the Future of Multiculturalism

Description

26th September 2008 marks the twentieth anniversary of the beginning of The Satanic Verses controversy - a controversy that in many ways became paradigmatic for the following two decades. Taking as its starting-point the opening two years of the controversy, Paul Weller uses the events and arguments of those years as a lens through which to view what later developed, both in relation to the controversy itself, but also its wider entails, and the incidents and issues through which aspects of the original controversy were reprised. The anniversary of the controversy presents a good opportunity to review the incidents, issues and debates of the time in some historical perspective, while also connecting them with subsequent incidents that have reprised some of the key themes, such as the 'cartoons' controversy, the terror attacks of 9/11 and 7/7, and the killing of the Dutch filmmaker, Theo Van Gogh. The book holds up a mirror for our times that will be of interest to academics, politicians, students, and religious believers, as well as to all who are engaged with the twenty-first century challenges posed by living with radical difference, freedom of expression, and mutual respect, with exploring the relationship between religion and secularity, and with overcoming the threats posed by religiously informed violence.

Paul Weller is University REF and Research Student Academic Manager & Professor of Inter-Religious Relations at the University of Derby and Visiting Fellow in the Oxford Centre for Christianity and Culture at Regent's Park College, University of Oxford, UK.

"This book reflects many years of research by Professor Paul Weller. It uses the occasion of the twentieth anniversary of the Rushdie Affair to reflect on the relation between Islam in all its various forms on European society and more generally on the nature of multicultural society. It will be widely referred to by all those interested" - Professor John Rex, The University of Warwick, UK "In my honest opinion, this is the first time, I have read a book which is so neutral, thorough and fair. It is not judgemental, yet very reflective. It explains clearly what happened. I am sure that this intellectual mirror would be a useful tool for those who have and who have not lived through that turbulent time as well as those who wish to see the making of a true harmonious society. I wish that there were more academics of Professor Weller's kind in Europe." - Bashy Quraishy, Chair - Advisory Council - European Network Against Racism, Brussels; Chair- Jewish Muslim Co-operation Platform in Europe, Brussels "Professor Weller has a number of significant and controversial points to make. Some of the most interesting parts of the book are those where he traces the debate generated by the Satanic Verses affair on issues such as multi-culturalism and the atmosphere of social fear, particularly after July 2005. It is a stimulating work, one that shows an immense amount of organisation of material and structure." - Dr Ataullalh Siddiqui, Director, Markfield Institute of Higher Education, UK ... the concluding ideas can certainly be thought of as a draft for an action plan to promote serious discussion on multiculturalism. These words do matter. -- Temenos: Nordic Journal of Comparative Religion 47(1) Mention in Derby Evening Telegraph, March 2009 Mentioned in the THE, March 2010 'This book is a major contribution to the debate over the place of religion in society. It should be widely and carefully read.' Baptist Quarterly, January 2010 Reviewed in The Muslim World Book Review, 30:4, 2010 (UK) 'Weller's book provides a fair, balanced and objective attempt to understand the complexities of and contradictions behind the Rushdie Affair' 'Eminently equipped to write on the subject, with knowledge and experience gained as Professor of Inter-Religious Relations at the University of Derby... Weller's conclusions alone provide an excellent reference framework.' -- Expository Times Reviewed in Year's Work in Critical and Cultural Theory