Salman Rushdie - Salman Rushdie Preparing To Return To India

The writer, who has faced protests over his controversial 1988 book The Satanic Verses, which is banned in India due to its depiction of Muslim prophet Muhammad, was expected to attend the Jaipur Literary Festival in January (12), but axed the trip after police learned of an alleged plot by religious extremists to kill him.

Rushdie appeared at the festival via video link instead and subsequently accused Indian police officials of lying about the severity of the death threats.

Now, the author is risking his personal safety to fulfil a speaking engagement in New Delhi on Friday (16Mar12). He will appear alongside British-born writer Aatish Taseer in a discussion titled The Liberty Verses.

A fatwa (death threat) on Rushdie, which was issued by Iran's then-leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989 was lifted in 1998 by the Iranian government.