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Article: Written on leaves. (the Koran)
- Article from:
- The Economist (US)
- Article date:
- February 25, 1989
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1989 Economist Newspaper Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The deepest undercurrents of the Rushdie affair Written on leaves
THE shrillness of the Muslim attack on Mr Salman Rushdie and "The Satanic Verses" is partly a front for something else: the qualms of many of their western-educated brethren about the origins of Islam. Muslims are taught that their holy book, the Koran, was revealed by God to the Prophet Muhammed and dictated by him to his scribes without human editing. According to tradition, the Prophet's utterances were first written down on whatever materials came to hand: the shoulder-bones of camels, palm leaves, pieces of wood or parchment. The Caliph Uthman (644-656 AD) is said to have made the collection into ...