In the early years of hiding, the stress on Rushdie was enormous. The fatwa and the fear of assassination certainly were a large part of that, as was the continued violence, which included the bombing of bookstores in Britain and the United States and the murder of the book's Japanese translator. In one effort to put an end to the controversy, Rushdie announced at the end of 1990 that he had converted to Islam. As a sign of his renewed faith, he stated that he would not support the publication of a paperback version of the novel. The “conversion” did not have any effect on the fatwa, as Khomeini's successor reaffirmed the fatwa's irrevocable nature. Rushdie later renounced his conversion, describing it as the biggest mistake of his life.

QUESTION: Why would Rushdie believe a conversion could influence a fatwa issued by a religious authority, and what was the actual political calculus behind his announcement?

Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Intro…, loc. 350