Rushdie denounces creationism

Author Salman Rushdie returned Friday to Kansas University’s campus, where he expounded on writing and reiterated his disdain for creationism and intelligent design.

Rushdie, whose latest book is “Shalimar the Clown,” spoke to a group of students and others at the Kansas Union. The talk followed his Thursday night lecture to a packed house at the Lied Center.

Rushdie appeared exasperated at what he called “the self-evident foolishness of the argument” against evolution theory and in favor of creationism or intelligent design.

“There is no word for it other than stupidity,” he said. “It’s just a bunch of bigotries dressed up as a point of view.”

He said such ideas didn’t hold up to any intellectual vigor.

“Intelligent design is disproved by the people who believe it,” he said.

Rushdie said intelligent design had its place: in theology class.

Rushdie, 58, published his first novel, “Grimus,” in 1975. His second novel, “Midnight’s Children,” won the Booker Prize for Fiction. His third novel, “Shame,” won France’s Prix du Meilleur Livre Etranger. His fourth novel, “The Satanic Verses,” made him the target of a death sentence from the late Ayatollah Khomeini of Iran.

The sentence, or fatwa, sent Rushdie into hiding for nearly a decade. The fatwa was lifted about seven years ago.

Rushdie deflected talk of the fatwa on Friday. He said he had refused to let the death sentence make him angry.

“I was very determined not to be made a creature of that event,” he said. “Enough of it. That subject has been very well aired.”

When asked whether his writing comes easily, Rushdie answered no.

“I cannot think of anything that is harder to do,” he said. “That’s the reason to do it.”

Then he restated his point. Writing is not difficult, he said, but good writing is.

“The terrible thing is there is no rule (about how to write), and you learn very little through experience,” he said.

Rushdie’s visits were presented by The Hall Center for the Humanities.