Rushdie Vows to Hold Firm in Face of Solitude, Threats

Novelist Salman Rushdie, in his first live interview since his execution was ordered by the late Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, vowed today not to give in to the threats hanging over him following publication of his book “The Satanic Verses.”

The Indian-born writer spoke about his life of “colossal restriction” in a 15-minute telephone interview on BBC Radio 4.

“It’s amazing what people can get used to,” he said. “I spend my life reading and writing. I do whatever you might do if your life was confined to the interior of a house.”

Rushdie said, “The worst about it is loss of ordinary life, not being able to do things that everybody else would take for granted, like walking down the street.”

He said he feels his work keeps him going, “but I would like to think that it isn’t a permanent condition--in fact, I’m convinced that it must not be allowed to be a permanent condition.”

The author voiced surprise that there had been no prosecution of Muslims in Britain who have publicly called for his death since the ayatollah’s February, 1989, death edict.

“It seems to me that people have been prosecuted for incitement in the past on less grounds than this. It seems to me to be odd that there has been no prosecution,” he said.

“I’m told there hasn’t been sufficient evidence. I must say I’m a little skeptical. I have seen what everybody else has seen on television and I find it hard to believe that that’s not sufficient evidence.”

Asked whether he might go abroad to start his life over again, Rushdie replied, “There’s no advantage in that. I am who I am. I wish to continue to be a writer. I wish to continue to be myself and the idea of becoming someone else in Paraguay is completely unattractive.

“That’s for defeated dictators and not for working novelists.”