South Africa is in the process of re-establishing diplomatic ties with Iran in spite of the fact that the country still maintains the fatwa (death sentence) against Salman Rushdie. The fatwa was declared by Ayatollah Khomeini, after declaring Rushie's novel 'The Satannic Verses' blasphemous to the Islamic religion.
The fatwa does not apply to Rushdie alone: all those involved in publishing and distributing the book are subject to the death sen- tence. Recent indications are that Iran is still targeting Rushdie. In January this year, Tehran announced that the fatwa will remain in place 'until this divine order is carried out.'
Towards the end of last year, the South African Government of National Unity re-established diplomatic ties with Iran as part of its efforts to normalize relations with other countries. In March this year, Minister of Mineral and Energy Affairs Pik Botha visited Iran to consolidate these ties. He hand-delivered an invitation from President Mandela to Iranian President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani to visit South Africa, which is particularly interested in Iran s oil reserves. Iran in turn is exploring the possibility of using South Africa s refineries and stocking capacity. Direct air links have also been established. South African has yet to develop a policy on the Rushdie affair.
The Freedom of Expression Institute (FXI) has written to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alfred Nzo, to ask for clarity on the Governments approach to the fatwa, and whether it intends to seek an assurance from Tehran that at the very least, South African nationals will be safe from the fatwa. The status of 'The Satanic Verses' locally is still unclear, given that the Act under which it was banned is in the process of being replaced by another Act. The latest draft makes provision for the banning for possession and distribution of publications that promote e6religious hatred , with certain exemptions. Whether this provision will remain in the final draft - which may allow for the re-banning of Rushdie s book - remains to be seen.
Protests against the book and its author began almost as soon as it was pub- lished by Viking/Penguin in the United Kingdom in September 1988. The campaign was born in India with the banning of the book. It spread quickly to Muslim communities in Britain, where copies were burnt in public. Early the following year, several people were killed and hundreds injured in violent clashes with police during protest marches, leading to the declaration of the fatwa from Tehran. Translators and publishers of the book have been attacked, property of publishing houses have been destroyed in fire bomb. In addition, several countries banned the book. The controversy has become enmeshed with the broader political question of the relationship between Islam and the West; it has fueled accusations that the fatwa has been singled out by Western Governments intent on demonising Islam.
Muslim communities in Western countries have also mobilized to protest against the book, often linking the controversy to broader struggles of minorities against political repression and cultural humiliation in Western countries. However, Muslim attitudes to the book and its author have been far from uniform. Muslim communities in Western countries also held protest marches in support of Rushdie s right to freedom of expression, and writers and artists worldwide have expressed solidarity with the author.
South Africa also became embroiled in the controversy at the time of the book 's release. In October 1988 - before the release of the book - Rushdie accepted an invitation to deliver the opening speech at a book week hosted by The Weekly Mail (now the Weekly Mail & Guardian) and the Congress of South African Writers (COSAW). On the release of the book - which was immediately banned under the soon-to-be defunct Publications Act - local Muslim groups mobilized against the visit, although opinion was sharply divided in the Muslim community over whether the book should be banned, and whether Rushdie s visit should be canceled. COSAW eventually withdrew the invitation on the grounds that his safety could not be guaranteed should he attend the Book Week. Rushdie still spoke at the Book Week, however, but via telephonic link up.
Rushdie has been in hiding since the fatwa was declared six years ago. Since then, foreign governments and international bodies have responded in a variety of ways. Britain, the current home of Rushdie, has recently announced that Iranian agents are active in the country and may well try to kill Rushdie should they be given the chance. The previous December, at its 49th session in New York, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted a resolution expressing 'grave concern that there are continuing threats to the life of Mr. Salman Rushdie, as well as to individuals associated with his work, which appear to have the support of the Government of the Islamic Republic or Iran'.
The European Council of Ministers has also condemned the fatwa, and has been applying diplomatic pressure on the Iranian Government in various ways. As of yet, the Council' s policy of 'critical dialogue' to persuade the country to revoke the fatwa has not yielded much. Supportive statements have been issued by government ministers and party officials in the United Kingdom, France, Norway, Ireland and Canada. However, this pressure has been fragmented, leading Rushdie to state recently that '...the world makes deploring noises and business proceeds as usual.'