The Satanic Verses

Dr. Uhuru Simba dies under suspicious circumstances while in police custody awaiting trial. The official account claims that Simba died due to a freak accident during a nightmare. The massive man reportedly screamed in his sleep, causing him to lift off his bunk and fall to the ground, breaking his neck instantly. The explanation is met with skepticism, especially from Simba’s mother, Antoinette Roberts, who speaks out vehemently against the police. Addressing an angry crowd outside the Brickhall police station, Antoinette accuses the authorities of playing with the lives of Black people. Hanif, Simba’s solicitor, adds fuel to the fire by highlighting the improbabilities in the police’s account. Both he and Antoinette suspect that racism played a significant role in Simba’s death.

Simba’s death ignites a deep-seated anger in the black community of London. The media portrays Simba as a dangerous radical with ties to controversial figures like Qaddafi, Khomeini, and Louis Farrakhan, reinforcing the perception of him as a monster who deserved his fate. However, within the black community, Simba is seen as a martyr, and his death only intensifies the simmering anger that has been building over time. The streets of Brickhall become a battleground, with the police increasing their presence in response to the rising tensions.

The already volatile situation is further inflamed when the “Granny Ripper” strikes again, twice within two nights. The police push the theory of a copycat killer, but the community remains unconvinced. The police presence in the area quadruples, leading to more clashes between the authorities and the residents, particularly young black and Asian men who are determined to resist what they see as oppressive policing.

As tensions continue to rise, violent incidents become more frequent. Black families on council estates are targeted, schoolchildren are harassed, and fights break out in pubs. Stories of police brutality circulate, fueling the anger and leading to the formation of self-defense patrols by young Sikh, Bengali, and Afro-Caribbean men. Hanif predicts that another Ripper killing could be the final straw that leads to an explosion of violence. He suggests that the killer is not only flaunting his freedom but also mocking Simba’s death, which is something the community cannot tolerate.

Into this tense atmosphere steps Gibreel. He wanders the city, which now seems alien to him, in a state of delirium. Gibreel has been roaming without food or sleep for days and is increasingly unable to distinguish between waking life and dreaming. He carries the trumpet Azraeel and contemplates whether is he an angel of life or an angel of death. The city sends him conflicting messages, as everywhere there are images of oppression and triumph.

As he wanders through the streets, Gibreel’s perception becomes increasingly fragmented. He encounters memories of Allie, which are bittersweet as he now feels as though she has betrayed him. His mind, fractured by his experiences, merges different realities and narratives, making it difficult for him to grasp the truth of his situation. He hears the trumpet calling to him, urging him to unleash its power, but he resists, unsure of what path to take.

One night, Gibreel finds himself in the red-light district, surrounded by young, underage sex workers, most of whom are not white and are being exploited. He feels a deep, inexplicable connection to them, sensing their pain and desperation. As they approach him, their bravado fades, and they kneel before him, recognizing in him a power they do not fully understand. Gibreel takes out the trumpet and blows, releasing a stream of fire that consumes the sex workers’ pimps, leaving nothing behind but ashes. This act of destruction brings Gibreel a moment of clarity; he understands that he is both a destroyer and a fulfiller of desires—a being capable of granting wishes but also an agent of destruction.

With this realization, Gibreel heads toward Brickhall, where the tension is at its peak. As he walks, he breathes in the desires of the city’s inhabitants. He decides that the city must be cleansed by fire, a purging that will fulfill the deepest desires of its residents while also destroying them. He walks through the low-cost housing estates. Some of the buildings are named after battles, while others have been renamed after freedom fighters like Mandela. As he walks, Gibreel blows his trumpet again, and flames sprout from the ground, forming a multicolored inferno that engulfs the buildings and the people within them. The flames create a nightmarish landscape of fire, which consumes everything in its path.

Meanwhile, Saladin, who has been trying to reestablish some semblance of normalcy in his life, finds himself drawn back into the chaos. After dining with Allie, he steps out into the night and witnesses the advance of the police and the eruption of violence in the streets. Instinctively, he runs, not realizing he is heading toward the Shaandaar Café, the epicenter of the firestorm that Gibreel has unleashed.

Television cameras capture the chaos as the police raid Club Hot Wax. The cameras, with their limited night vision, show the scene in stark, dispassionate terms: the police advancing, helicopters hovering overhead, the destruction of the club, and the arrest of several people, including Pinkwalla. The news reports focus on the supposed criminal activities linked to the club, including drug dealing and other illegal operations, while ignoring the broader social and political context of the unrest. The media portrays the rioters as mindless thugs destroying their own neighborhoods, reinforcing the narrative that the violence is senseless and self-destructive.

Amid the chaos, Gibreel carries Saladin to safety. As Gibreel walks with Saladin in his arms, the fire seems to part before them, creating a path through the flames. Outside, Mishal, who has been weeping for her parents, witnesses Gibreel’s selfless act. She and Hanif help the two men into an ambulance, where Gibreel, still exhausted and delirious, babbles about the trumpet and the fire. Hanif dismisses it as the ravings of a disturbed mind, insisting to Mishal that the events of the night are part of a larger socio-political struggle: they are a process of change in British society, not the result of any mystical forces.