IOWA CITY, Iowa, March 29 (UPI) -- Author Salman Rushdie says a death threat that forced him to hide out for nine years foreshadowed the terrorism currently affecting the world.
Set to lecture in Iowa this week, the India-born Rushdie was condemned to death in 1989 by Iran's former leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini because of his novel. "The Satanic Verses."
Rushdie said his time in hiding and fight against censorship of the book taught him how far radicals were willing to go, the Des Moines Register reported Monday.
"The battle about 'Satanic Verses' was important," Rushdie said in a recent teleconference. "Although some booksellers pulled the novel, a satire of the prophet Mohammed, from their shelves, other bookstores and libraries bought more copies. We were able to come out victorious."
Rushdie's new book, "Step Across This Line," includes stories from his time in hiding.
