Salman Rushdie, is an author who had a fatawah, or Islamic death edict, put on his life several years ago for writing a book critical of Islam called Satanic Verses. In another book he wrote entitled Imaginary Homelands he notes one of the family traditions of his home:
“In our house, whenever anyone dropped a book, it was required to be not only picked up but also kissed, by way of apology for the act of clumsy disrespect. I was as careless and butterfingered as any child, and accordingly I kissed a large number of books. Devout households in India still contain persons in the habit of kissing holy books. But we kissed everything. We kissed dictionaries and atlases. We kissed novels and Superman comics. If I’d ever dropped the telephone directory, I’d probably have kissed that too”.
Is it any surprise that Salman Rushdie grew up to become an author? What we honor defines us. (Larson, C. B. (2002). 750 engaging illustrations for preachers, teachers & writers. First work originally published: Illustrations for preaching and teaching. Grand Rapids, MI : Baker Books, 1993. 2nd work originally published: Contemporary illustrations for preachers, teachers, and writers. Grand Rapids, Mich. : Baker Books, 1996. 3rd work originally published: Choice contemporary stories and illustrations. Grand Rapids, Mich. : Baker Books, 1998. (251). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.)