Anniversary of Rushdie book fatwa

It is 20 years since Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa against the author Salman Rushdie after the publication of The Satanic Verses.

The novel's release led to widespread protest by Muslims who regarded it as blasphemous, including public burning of the book.

Rushdie had to live in hiding and under special protection for several years.

And while he is now able to live a more public life, he says the affair remains "an albatross around his neck".

Last year, he told BBC's Newsnight that he was considering writing a book about the experience.

Nine days after The Satanic Verses was published in Britain in September 1988, it was banned in India.