Salman Rushdie wins Facebook name battle

Nov 16, 2011, 1:01 GMT

San Francisco - Author Salman Rushdie has won a battle with Facebook over the use of his name on the social networking site, the renowned author revealed Tuesday.

Facebook had tried to deactivate his profile because the company didn't believe he really was the author of such bestsellers as Midnight's Children. When Rushdie sent in a copy of his passport to prove his identity, Facebook refused to reactivate his account unless he used his formal name Ahmed Rushdie in line with its strict real name policies.

Rushdie ranted against the decision on his Twitter feed with some choice words about the company.

'They said yes, I was me, but insisted I use the name Ahmed which appears before Salman on my passport and which I have never used,' he tweeted. 'Now they have reactivated my FB page as 'Ahmed Rushdie,' in spite of the world knowing me as Salman. Morons.'

But he announced Tuesday that the social networking giant had reversed its decision. 'Victory! Facebook has buckled! I'm Salman Rushdie again. I feel SO much better. An identity crisis at my age is no fun. Thank you Twitter!'