“Here I am risking my life, and not for the first time,” said Sir Salman Rushdie to a sold out crowd at the War Memorial auditorium on Feb. 10. In his Bryan Series speech, the celebrated author was referring to the Ayatollah Khomeini’s 1989 issuance of a fatwa in response to his novel “The Satanic Verses.” “One of us is dead,” deadpanned Rushdie as he wryly explained to a laughing audience that the pen is mightier than the sword. “Don’t mess with the novelists.”

Rushdie’s unique perspective on his life and literature and how it relates to world events was conveyed with a warm and witty sense of humor, which belied his controversial statements at the end of the evening.

Rushdie often touched on the role of the writer as celebrity.

“It was never my intention to be a religious or political writer,” said Rushdie to a gathering of students in the Community Room prior to the evening event. “The space between public and private life has closed completely.”

Rushdie spent 10 years in hiding, living with armed guards, constantly on the move evading Khomeini’s death threat.

“What happened to me was an odd and exceptional event that now fits right in with the larger events that followed it,” said Rushdie to The Guilfordian in an interview. “Someone compared me to the canary in a coal mine, and I quite agree with that.”

Being thrust onto the front pages impinged on Rushdie’s career as a writer.

“It’s difficult to be an observer,” Rushdie told the Bryan Series audience. “When you are the one being observed . that’s the job of the writer.”

Despite his years in seclusion, he continued to write award-winning books while defending his voice as an artist.

“In any open society the argument over the story is the story,” said Rushdie, referring to history as contested ground. “The moment you live in a society that oppresses you by changing your narrative, there is tyranny.”

He pressed on, telling the audience that no one owns the stories of our lives and that nations should not be allowed to silence artistic expression. He spoke of the duty of the writer to tell the stories of their times, referring to the fact that very little was written about British imperialism while that empire was busy consuming countries.

“The voice of the artist belongs to the artist,” said Rushdie as he ended his talk. “That is how I see it.”

Rushdie then responded to audience questions that were moderated by Beverly Abel from North Carolina Public Radio-WUNC. The last question was, “what is the best way for the West to respond to terrorism?”

“They are our enemies and they have to be defeated and destroyed,” Rushdie responded.

Audience reaction was an admixture of hearty cheers and a stunned silence.

“I was surprised at his encouragement of American aggression against terrorism,” said sophomore Andrew Bracken.

Center for Continuing Education Dean Rita Serotkin supported Rushdie’s position.

“I agree with his statement. Terrorism needs to be destroyed if we are ever to have world peace, and its destruction does not have to be violent. The intent of terrorism is to commit violence against civilians and to cause maximum harm and fear,” said Serotkin. “To my mind the deaths that result, no matter where or whose, are murders; and a civilized world should accept no justification for such behavior.”

Rushdie hastily added that “we should be friends with our enemies” without further comment, as his time on stage had run out.

He received another round of applause for that declaration; however, the mood of the evening had already taken an abrupt turn.

“I don’t think anybody would disagree that terrorism is a bad thing,” said Diya Abdo assistant professor of English. “Perhaps there are other ways to deal with terrorism that doesn’t involve destruction and violence.”

“His statement was too risky; he did not address American foreign policy or why terrorists come into existence,” said Abdo, “as if terrorism is just a result of what happened in that country and not what influenced them to be terrorists.”

“To ask Rushdie about political security issues that even the countries involved have not figured out yet does not address the rationalization of terrorist organizations,” said Abdo. “It implies that terrorism is ahistorical and does not arise from prior conflict.”

Amal Khoury, assistant professor of peace and conflict studies, also questioned the accountability of the moderator

“I think the responsibility lies with whoever chose to ask him that question with no regard to time constraint,” said Khoury. “That question could have been the subject of a whole different lecture.”

Rushdie ended the evening signing books and posing for pictures in the lobby of the War Memorial auditorium.

As the audience streamed towards the exits, CCE student and first-time Bryan Series attendee Johnny Welch said, “I thought it was brilliant, and I look forward to what the Bryan Series has to offer next.