Salman Rashid

Travel writer, Fellow of Royal Geographical Society

My name is Salman Rashid
07 May 2013

In February 1989, shortly after the fatwa, I was in Gwadar. Sitting in the town square (oh, how the town has changed in these years!), I was minding my own business over a cup of tea when a stranger came and sat opposite. We started talking and I learned that he was Iranian. He asked me what I did for a living and I said I was a writer and then he asked me my name. The next thing I knew was the stunned reaction of the man. Very slowly, in real slow motion, the man started to rise from his chair. Then he point a finger at me and said, 'You are the man!

It was only now I realised what was about to happen. I quickly grabbed his outstretched hand and forced him back into the chair. And then I talked like I have never talked in my life. I told him I was Rashid, Rashid, Rashid and not Rushdie. I whipped out my ID card for him to read and told him I lived in Lahore. The man quieted down, looked hard at me and said I would quite look like Rushdie if I trimmed my beard a little. I had a thick, black beard in those days which was shaved off after returning home.

Labels: About, Salman Rashid

posted by Salman Rashid @ 17:51,

10 Comments:

At 7 May 2013 at 18:21, Kausar Bilal said...: A very enjoyable read! Got stunned to imagine the situation. Ignorance is an evil.
At 7 May 2013 at 18:38, Ramla said...: OMG! OMG!
At 7 May 2013 at 19:13, M Behzad Jhatial said...: waw.... great man u r sir....
At 7 May 2013 at 19:35, Deb Sistrunk said...: I wish I had been there to see that stunned look! Excellent post.
At 8 May 2013 at 08:50, Salman Rashid said...: Thank you, folks. Trust me, for a few moments I did believe I had reached the end of my road. The way things are now, and were beginning to get at that time in 1989, ordinary people no longer see reason - nor too at that time. Once the stoning would have begun, the crowd would only have got larger and larger. Shudder!
At 8 May 2013 at 10:31, Unknown said...: Yes, you are Salman Rashid, the man who made the world see Pakistan through his eyes
At 17 May 2013 at 11:30, Aghader Ami said...: Thank your stars that you were not in Iran. I could have been more than scary.
At 17 May 2013 at 12:08, Salman Rashid said...: Yes, Aghader, it could actually have been worse.
At 22 May 2013 at 10:45, Lahoremassagist said...: OMG! This could have been worst.
At 17 May 2014 at 14:55, Unknown said...: Nice short story! I enjoyed reading it. ^-^