The burning of Rushdie's novel, while legally permissible, also made matters worse, as book burning raises memories of more sordid episodes in European history such as the Inquisition and Nazi Germany.

XREF: Connects to censorship debates, the Rushdie fatwa context, and historical book burnings (Inquisition, Nazi book burnings) as symbolic acts with political consequences.

Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Intro…, loc. 354