Rushdie’s Statement

Re: “Rushdie Fails to Move the Zealots,” by Daniel Pipes (Commentary, Dec. 28):

Rushdie didn’t ask to be a saint or a martyr. If his “friends” are disturbed and put off by his statements, then they are not very good friends. Now, more than ever, it is vital for his readers in the West not to whine about betrayal, but to demonstrate their continuing support and admiration for a man whose art remains transcendent, brilliant and--a miracle, considering--almost always hysterically funny.

SYLVIA WEISER WENDEL

North Hollywood