Salman Rushdie plans book on fatwa

London, July 30 : Noted author Salman Rushdie is planning to write a book on the fatwa issued to him 20 years ago over his novel The Satanic Verses.

The 61-year-old novelist went into hiding for nine years after the Iranian Ayatollah imposed a fatwa because of what was perceived as an irreverent depiction of the prophet Muhammad in his book.

"I guess there's a story there. Various people [are] encouraging me to tell it, and maybe I will," BBC quoted him as saying.

The Booker Prize-winner said his isolation was "full of restrictions and problems, not just for me but for my family and publishers."

"The bad period was roughly speaking nine years long. It's now been nine years since then. So it does feel like an earlier chapter.

"At the time it was something I was just trying to get through and get out of," he added.

Rushdie also said that Internet could be the best medium of narrowing the gap between cultures.

"The more aspects of Western culture people become aware of, in whatever tyrannical country - whether it's China or Iran - people want it," he said

"It may well be that what we think of as trivial and banal stuff like YouTube and MySpace, this may change the world.

"The internet is showing people what life can be like. And when people who live in repressive countries see that, it makes them want it," he added.

ANI