Salman Rushdie Afghanistan, which began in 2001, but was a vocal critic of the 2003 war in Iraq. He has stated that while there was a "case to be made for the removal of Saddam Hussein", US unilateral military intervention was unjustifiable. In the wake of the "Jyllands-Posten" Muhammad cartoons controversy in March 2006—which many considered an echo of the death threats and "fatwā" that followed publication of "The Satanic Verses" in 1989—Rushdie signed the manifesto "Together Facing the New Totalitarianism", a statement warning of the dangers of religious extremism. The Manifesto was published in the left-leaning French weekly "Charlie Hebdo" in
Luka and the Fire of Life this and that". The novel inspired a university animation competition in 2010. "Design Week" explained: "Sir Salman Rushdie’s new children’s novel, "Luka and the Fire of Life", will be brought to life through the animations of four Kingston University students. Rushdie was part of a judging panel which invited ten students from the faculty of art, design and architecture to present ideas for the book." The successful animations were to appear on YouTube and the Random House website. Rushdie, Salman. "Luka and the Fire of Life." New York: Random House, 2010. Print. Luka and the Fire of Life Luka and