The character of Shalimar

The aggressive character Rushdie develops through Shalimar the Clown is indicative of his own orientalist thoughts. The name Shalimar the Clown, to begin, is a ridiculous name, and Rushdie lays the foundation here for his portrayal of terrorists. Before he is even born, Shalimar irritated his mother while he was in her womb. On page 72, she describes the unborn Shalimar as "...the person that's giving me the shivers right now is still inside me."So, even before Shalimar has live, we are led to believe that he was evil.  Later in his life, during the time of Boonyi, Shalimar is depicted as this controlling man over a submissive woman - " Don't you leave me now...I'll kill you and if you have any children by another man I'll kill the children also." What kind of image is Rushdie trying to display here of the middle east. After Max takes Boonyi as a lover, Shalimar is deemed as a loser. Terrorists are low-life losers? Maybe Rushdie should pick up a copy of Who Speaks For Islam so he can better understand the Middle East. Max, a Jew, is portrayed as a hero. But wasn't he the villain here? He was consumed with material goods (at least later in life), he marries Peggy, but continues on a polygamous lifestyle with no regard to the consequences it entails. His marriage with his daughter India is clearly chaotic, as she has little understanding of her own name - one with literal roots to the Middle East. I am really put-off by this book so far. Its almost fun to keep reading, because there are so many ridiculous images Rushdie propagates.