He was also a critic on Islam . In early 1990s , he began a translation of Salman Rushdie 's controversial novel , '' The Satanic Verses '' . This provoked outrage from Islamic organizations , who were gaining popularity throughout Turkey , who then tried to hunt him down . On July 2 , 1993 while attending a mostly Alevi cultural festival in the central Anatolian city of Sivas , a mob organized by Islamists gathered around the Madimak Hotel , where the festival attendants were accommodated . After hours of siege , the intruders set the hotel on fire . After flames engulfed several lower floors of the hotel , firetrucks managed to get close , and Aziz Nesin and many guests of the hotel escaped . However , 37 people were killed . This event , also known as the Sivas massacre , was perceived as censorship , and human rights in Turkey were allegedly disrupted at that time . It also deepened the rift between fundamentalist Muslims and those that they regard as infidels
Sivas massacre
Sivas massacre
Aziz Nesin