You have to be careful when you insult religious icons...

from 2nd Kings:
"2:23 And he went up from thence unto Bethel: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head.
2:24 And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the LORD. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them."

attempts at explanation here

I am tired of this sort of attitude...from ANY group. There is a huge difference between being slandered in such a way that it causes demonstrable harm, and merely disliking what others say about you or your beliefs. There are remedies for the former, but pronouncing death sentences for imagined 'insults' is beyond the pale.

I wonder if Rushdie was consulted and if this outcome was debated before the public announcement. Surely *HE* realized there would be a reaction? In a world full of irrationality, one takes one's chances....and sometimes it is worth pushing the envelope to make a point.