Salman Rushdie
Salman Rushdieצילום: Reuters

Salman Rushdie, the Indian-born British writer who wrote The Satanic Verses, has published a new book that again deals with Islamic figures. It is entitled "Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights."

The Satanic Verses sparked riots throughout the Muslim world for including an allegedly blasphemous section about Muhammad. Iranian Ayatolla Khomenei issued a fatwa requiring any Muslim who sees Rushdie to kill him, and the author was eventually forced into hiding.

Balfour Hakak, the former head of the Hebrew Writers Association, told Arutz Sheva that, in the age of ISIS, it is very important how people deal with the issue of Islam. "Salman Rushdie is a brave author. Not every writer would dare go against Islam in such as a straightforward manner and make statements that are seen as blasphemous. In the book The Satanic Verses he expressed a hostile stance towards Islam, but Rushdie is a great and free writer who dares to write about Islam. For that he deserves a medal."

According to Hakak, Rushdie's books are now more topical than ever. "Now, when there is an internal struggle within Islam, and when there is an organization like ISIS that wants to bring Islam back to the Caliphate and believes it is the successor to Muhammad, Rushdie's writings are particularly important. And it's good that he is not afraid to make comments against Islam. He should be crowned as one of the great authors to have come out of India."