The Satanic Verses - where it all began...

[JayKeeley]

Does anyone know the history behind these verses, other than what was written in Rushdie's fictional novel? It's pretty interesting...​

At the dawn of Islam, Muhammad and his small band of followers had come head-to-head with his tribe, the Quraysh, who basically managed the Ka'aba (the big black block of Mecca) and it's pagan Gods. The place used to be filled with ancient pagan idols before the Muslims eventually destroyed them all. Bear in mind, that in a monotheistic religion, there can be only one God, and in Muhammad's case it was Allah, so worship of other Gods was considered blasphemous.​

So anyway, the Quraysh tribe ran all of Muhammad's followers off to Christian Ethiopia where they stayed in exile. Muhammad meanwhile stayed in Mecca, where he and his immediate family were starved into submission and repent. As hunger took over, Muhammad revoked his Islamic preachings and admitted to acknowledging the three pagan Godesses of Mecca (al-Lat, al-Uzzah, and al-Manat). This saved Muhammad's life and later, all the exiles returned from Ethiopia.​

When the heat from the Quraysh died down, this entire event was 'modified' in Muhammad's preachings (which were being documented by his assistants into creating the Q'uran itself) to explain that this revelation had come from none other than SATAN! It was therefore considered a "Satanic Verse".​

So of course today, Islamic authorities hush up any form of Satanic Verse because it shows that, in facing mortal death, it was in fact Satan who saved Muhammad, not Allah. This is an embarrasment to the Islamic leaders, and of course opens the floodgates with regards to how many other passages in the Q'uran could actually be deemed Satanic, or beg the question as to why Allah didn't offer to save his messenger in the first place....​

Cue the Ayatollah of Iran and his fatwa on Salman Rushdie. Anyway, I just thought this was interesting, and that's the long and short of it. Ho hum. ​

 

[Black Winter Day]

i will read this book over spring break. yeah, i'm a literary nerd. blow me.

i can't believe i haven't read it yet, seems like i've read about every "high-art" novel of the 20th century... somehow this has been overlooked. sounds like my kind of thing too.

 

[JayKeeley]

Well, NAD has read it and was blown away. I mean, for someone to say that this has surpassed the writings of Tolkien says quite a bit!

I haven't read it, but I'd be keen to see how Rushdie's fiction relates to this concept behind the original Satanic Verse (if at all).

 

[NAD]

Well, it now makes COMPLETE sense why the radical Muslims freaked out! Well you know, given that they're whacked out enough to get offended at something from their own faith.

 

[Black Winter Day]

bet it won't surpass STEPPENWOLF, SIDDHARTHA and DEMIAN...


i think i've actually read some rushdie in the past... what are some other famous books he wrote?

 

[NAD]

I haven't read it, but I'd be keen to see how Rushdie's fiction relates to this concept behind the original Satanic Verse (if at all).

There is a portion of the novel that is nearly identical to the history behind the Satanic Verses.

The scope of the Satanic Verses isn't nearly as large as Tolkien's (obviously), but what the book did to me was mind-blowing. One of the few books I've read that I know I'll read several times throughout my life.

 

[NAD]

i think i've actually read some rushdie in the past... what are some other famous books he wrote?

I'm only on my third book by him, but given his distinct style, I don't think you'd forget if you had or not.

The Moor's Last Sigh
Fury
The Ground Beneath Her Feet
Midnight's Children
...

A few others, but those are the ones I have. Apparently The Moor's Last Sigh won all kinds of crazy awards, I put the book down for several months because it bored me, but since recently starting it again, I don't know what I was thinking, it rules.

EDIT: That sentence would sound best as read aloud by someone hyperventilating, damn commas.

 

[Black Winter Day]

okay, while we are on the subject...

QUICK! TOP 10 FAVORITE BOOKS!

(no order)


Catch 22
The Dharma Bums
Steppenwolf
Demian
Dark Tower Series
The Catcher in the Rye
A Clockwork Orange
Breakfast of Champions
H.P. Lovecraft Collection (any)
Lord of the Rings

 

[JayKeeley]

There is a portion of the novel that is nearly identical to the history behind the Satanic Verses.

Those are probably the portions that were being photocopied and passed around all the mullahs around the globe, just so as to warn the worshippers that the book should be destroyed on sight and that Rushdie should be killed immediately. I clearly remember bookstores removing the books from their shelves in fear of being petrol bombed.

You see, Muslims want to believe that Allah would have saved Muhammad, and that he wouldn't have needed to announce the pagan Gods with his neck on the chopping block. A miracle of some kind would have occurred in the nick of time. That portion of history is re-written (according to aetheists anyway).

In the same light, Muslims do not believe that Jesus Christ was ever crucified. No way would God have allowed one of the prophets to die. Yes, someone was crucified but it wasn't Jesus. That whole 'resurrection' affair was really him just showing up again after having gone into hiding for a while.

 

[NAD]

No way would God have allowed one of the prophets to die. Yes, someone was crucified but it wasn't Jesus.

Very interesting, and obviously tying in to the Islamic leaders covering up those nasty Satanic Verses. It's amazing that a work of fiction can cause such controversy still, you're right about Islam being in their Dark Ages period.

I'll give a top 3 favorite books:
The Satanic Verses
Plato's Republic
Lord of the Rings

 

[JayKeeley]

Very interesting, and obviously tying in to the Islamic leaders covering up those nasty Satanic Verses. It's amazing that a work of fiction can cause such controversy still, you're right about Islam being in their Dark Ages period.

Well, what's even more interesting are some of these aetheists that believe Jesus was real but do NOT believe in things like the resurrection. The fact is, according to them, the crucifixion of Christ never actually occured either.

This ties in with there being no record of a "Jesus Christ" being crucified, even when the Romans kept logs of every other crucifixion from that era. You just know that Islamic leaders love this - they've preached forever that Christ was never crucified because God wouldn't permit such a thing.

 

[JayKeeley]

But I thought that they thought he really was crucified, just not a prophet! Wait, was that... religious hypocrisy!?!?

Heh, no they definitely believe he was a prophet, but that he was not crucified, and most importantly, that he was NOT the son of God.

Atheists can be just as bad, but they have that sacred trump card of "it doesn't matter, this is all a fairy tale anyhow."

Or religous folk with their backs against the wall saying, "I have faith".

I always wondered what religous people think of Natural History Museums? The one in NYC is exceptional (probably the best one I've ever seen, even though the London one is more famous) but it assumes the theory of evolution from the moment you walk through the door. The exhibits are followed in the same direction that evolution occured, starting at the fossils pretty much.

 

[NAD]

Or religous folk with their backs against the wall saying, "I have faith".

It's so weird that I rarely see this one, most zealots are too stuck on taking everything theistic as fact. *shrugs, rolls eyes, and soils pants*

I've never seen evolution as some big challenge to one's faith, especially since now modern interpretations of those first 7 days in the Bible say each day could have been millions of years, conveniently allowing the existence of dinosaurs without crushing any pillars of faith. *dances the jig for no reason at all*

 

[ChiefB]

Out of all religions on the planet, Islam is the only religion that condones barbaric acts. These 'people' are quite happy to say that Jesus is NOT the son of God BUT as soon as someone like S. Rushdie talks about "satanic verses" the muslims are all up in arms and screaming death to Rushdie (as well as the USA).

Why would anyone be so proud to part of a religion that is akin to practising techniques only a caveperson would endure? And what is it about Muslims and Caves? Al-queda hiding in a cave, Saddam Hussein hiding in a cave-like structure and I just found out that the Islamic prophet, Muhammad, received the scriptures (Quran) while he was in a cave .... and most probably taking a leak at the same time.

 

[NAD]

I like to think of my apartment as a cave, but I don't have any religious idols adorning my walls, unless you count that bigass Slayer pentagram.

 

[MadeInNewJersey]

Or religous folk with their backs against the wall saying, "I have faith".

Faith is just a retitled way of saying opinion.

 

[ChiefB]

Faith is just a retitled way of saying opinion.

Do you know what is really funny about this statement? You, the most opinionated person on UM and possibly the USA.

I think we should start a new religion (or opinion) and call it GUGSWAY. I shall be the first person to use this term, directed at our legendary comrade markgugs...."Your just a fucking gugsway, you dull cunt." - Wicked.

Off to the patent office.

 

[MadeInNewJersey]

LMAO, good one ChiefB.

 

[NAD]

That rules.

We need to get a picture of 'Gugs posing like the Buddy Christ now:

Hmm, maybe instead of the thumbs up you could be giving the bird.

 

[JayKeeley]

GUGSWAY - A new religion brought to the masses by the Prophet Markgugs. Much like it's capitalistic counterpart, AMWAY, it's based on a pyramid structure of bringing more people into the cult.

Chief B, disciple numero uno, was the first to instigate the recruitment process, and has since brought in two new members, NAD and JayKeeley, whilst selling some cheap toothpaste and shampoo to the bloke next door.