There have been very few writers who have been dogged by controversy throughout their careers. Some have been persecuted in less enlightened times such as Mark Twain, and some have been ridiculed by the press like Edgar Allan Poe. Yet, Salman Rushdie was the first author in the free world to have been pursued from across continents and forced into hiding because of a death sentence by a foreign government. To say Salman Rushdie is a very controversial writer in today's society would be a gross understatement. Rushdie in fact could be considered the ideal poster boy for absolute freedom...
his own personal "alterations and interpretations" of these scriptures. This was viewed as the ultimate blasphemy, a direct offense to all Muslims. This "action" was received as such too, and the Muslim Church retaliated by placing a million-dollar bounty on the head of Rushdie. Although this forced Rushdie into hiding and presented him with numerous sleepless nights, this reaction also gave Rushdie a new podium to shout from. As Balaji Venkateswaran said so perfectly," It also made him a demi-god among litterateurs, an icon to be brandished in support of free speech, a metaphor in the fight against censorship."