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YouTube video of Salman and me is now up

Posted in Irshaddering Thoughts, Announcements on Feb 01, 2009

Backstage and on-stage with Salman Rushdie.

(All photos copyright Joyce Culver, 2009)

You’ve been asking for it, and after some technical glitches, I’m happy to say that one of the best conversations I’ve had a long time can now be viewed on YouTube.What made it “one of the best”? Simply put, Salman is hilarious. The laughs began backstage and didn’t let up.That’s not to say we agreed on everything. Salman is an atheist. I’m not. Toward the end of the evening, he took a jab at the fact that I believe in a Creator. I replied that the existence of successful atheists like him is proof positive of a compassionate God. Even he chuckled.My favorite story of the night: After Iran declared the $2 million fatwa, one of Salman’s Pakistani uncles took out an ad in the local paper advertising the fact that “we never really liked him anyway.” You can watch the entire evening here on YouTube.Oh, and whomever sends me the funniest caption to the final photo above will get a free, autographed book from me. Sometimes, you just gotta laugh — as I’m sure you will when you download the video.This dialogue launched the Moral Courage Conversations.
My next guest is CNN’s chief international correspondent, Christiane Amanpour. On Wednesday, February 18, we’ll be discussing the lack of moral courage in contemporary journalism and what, if anything, citizens can do about it.If you live in New York City, click here for more details. And, of course, I’ll post the YouTube video as soon as it becomes available.