Writers read passages of Salman Rushdie's banned book, The Satanic Verses, at a literary festival Friday in India.

Rushdie canceled his plans to attend the Jaipur Literary Festival after protests from Muslim clerics and warnings that he could be targeted for assassination.

Hari Kunzru and Amitava Kumar were among the authors who read from the banned book.

Muslim activists have protested Friday's reading. Police have not yet determined what measures, if any, will be taken against the public readers.

Rushdie's planned appearance has reawakened the controversy over The Satanic Verses, published in 1988 and considered blasphemous by many Muslim leaders. The Indian-born author spent years in hiding after Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa calling for his death. The book is still banned in India.

An official at the prominent Darul Uloom Deoband seminary recently called for officials not to grant Rushdie a visa. Maulana Qasim Nomani said the author's writings have hurt Muslim feelings and he should not be allowed to enter India.

The seminary in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh is known for conservative teachings thought to have shaped the views of some radical Islamist groups, including the Taliban.