British author Salman Rushdie has filed for divorce from his wife of three years. The writer, who was at the centre of a row between Britain and Iran last month (Jun07) after making Queen Elizabeth II's Honours List, has agreed to divorce Padma Lakshmi.Rushdie's spokeswoman Jin Auh says, "Salman Rushdie has agreed to divorce his wife, Padma Lakshmi, because of her desire to end their marriage. "He asks that the media respect his privacy at this difficult time."Rushdie married Lakshmi, a former model born in 1970 in India, in 2004. She was his fourth wife and the couple had no children. Rushdie's recent knighthood brought criticism from Muslim countries and governements in Iran and Pakistan called for the honour to be withdrawn.His novel The Satanic verses, which was published in 1988, caused widespread outrage from Muslims all over the world and threats were made on Rushdie's life.

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