The event that triggered the first major conflict between Muslim and non-Muslim populations in Europe was the so-called Rushdie Affair, which followed the publication of The Satanic Verses (1988), a novel by Salman Rushdie. Rushdie was born into a Muslim family in Bombay (now Mumbai), India, but has spent the better part of his life in Britain. Rushdie's ties to Islam throughout his adult life have been more cultural than religious. He has never considered himself a believer in or practitioner of Islam.

XREF: Connects to broader debates about free expression versus religious offense, and the politics of the author's cultural versus religious identity.

Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Intro…, loc. 343