The night of Monday, October 27th found the University Center Ballroom packed from wall to wall with Adelphi students, faculty, administrators, and local residents. Hardly a seat in the room was left vacant for this sold out event. Featuring the "crown jewels" of Adelphi's first semester lecture series: an evening with renowned author Salman Rushdie, the author of such works as Midnight's Children and The Satanic Verses. However, some members of the Adelphi community were deeply upset by the timing of Rushdie's visit and even more so by the perception that their grievances had gone unheard.
Members of Adelphi's Muslim community were upset by the fact that his appearance coincided with the first day of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month. They were offended because what Rushdie has written, particularly in his book The Satanic Verses, has been interpreted by some Muslims as an insult to Islam.
Celena Ibrahim, head of the Muslim Student's Association, clarified this interpretation of Rushdie's words and ideas in an interview saying that he had completely rejected the Prophet (Mohammed, the central figure of Islam) by calling him a fraud while Rushdie, himself, is a Muslim. Ibrahim and her organization did not wish to ban Rushdie from speaking. Rather they simply wanted a chance to refute whatever he might say, a chance she says they won't have due to religious priorities. [ more... ]
