Rushdie Prompts Boycott Threat in India

MUMBAI — A leading Indian Muslim group threatened to boycott a major conglomerate's products Thursday after its owners hosted author Salman Rushdie at their home in suburban Mumbai.

Rushdie arrived in Mumbai last week and left on Tuesday, cutting short his visit by two days after Muslim groups began protesting outside the beach-front house of the Godrej family, whose company, Godrej Industries Ltd., is one of India's major conglomerates with interests in furniture, machine tools, food processing and chemicals.

"Yes, Rushdie has left, but why was a man with no respect for Islam or the prophet allowed to stay here?" said Maulana Sayyed Atarali, president of the All India Ulema Association, a national organization of Islamic clerics. "It is unfortunate he was a guest of the Godrejs. Until there is an apology we will boycott all their products."

The company refused to comment, directing inquires to a public relations firm, Perfect Relations, which said the matter was being sorted out but did not explain how. Employees of Perfect Relations refused to be identified by name, citing their company's policy.

The Indian-born British writer has visited Mumbai, formerly known as Bombay, several times and his trips have always attracted protests from Muslim groups.

The protests — and threats — have usually ended as soon as Rushdie left, and there were doubts Thursday whether a boycott would be carried out.

"These were token protests but the anger spilled over to the Godrejs. It had its effect and Rushdie shortened his visit," said Sarfraz Arzoo, editor of Hindustan, a newspaper written in Urdu, the language of India's Muslim minority. "Now there will not be much heat left in the issue. It will die down."

Rushdie has been a lightning rod for protests by Muslims since his book "The Satanic Verses" was published in 1988 amid criticism that it insulted Islam.

India, where Muslims account for about 14 percent of the 1.1 billion population, most of whom are Hindu, was among the first countries to ban the book.

A few months later, Iran's late spiritual leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, ordered Muslims to kill Rushdie, forcing the author into hiding for nearly a decade.

The Godrejs are followers of Zoroastrianism, an ancient Persian faith. Their religion did not appear to be an issue in the protests.

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