Rushdie on stage

Photo / Reuters

A German theatre has brought Salman Rushdie's The Satanic Verses to the stage, with no sign of trouble after authorities promised thorough security precautions.

The Hans-Otto Theatre in Potsdam says its version, which has 12 actors and ran for nearly four hours, is the first theatrical presentation of the novel.

Iran's late spiritual leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, issued a 1989 fatwa, or religious edict, ordering Muslims to kill Rushdie because The Satanic Verses allegedly insulted Islam.

The threat forced Rushdie to live in hiding for nmore than a decade.