That is, at least, the thinking of two aging, sad sack novelists in Fatwa, a new play by Anuvab Pal which will be presented Aug. 14-26 at the New York International Fringe Festival. These two very un-famous non entities, who are saddled with the names Michael Jordon and Mohammed Ali, long for notoriety and fear they will never achieve it before they die. In desperation, Jordan writes a blasphemous book intended to stir up Islam's ire. Unfortunately, the Muslim world fails to take notice, spurring Jordan to enlist his friend Ali in an even more foolhardy plan.

Pal is considered one of the leading playwrights in New York City's South Asian theatre community.

The show, a production of Alter Ego Productions, will be directed by Michael Barakiva at The Players Theatre, Studio 3C.

Alter Ego, a two-year-old company, previously made news by landing the New York City premiere of Tom Stoppard's 1991 play Indian Ink. The show was mounted in a small Tribeca space for two weeks only, Aug. 15-Sept. 7. Stoppard was particularly interested in the troupe due to the predominantly South Asian makeup of the ensemble.

The company’s previous productions include Girish Karnad’s Hayvadana in June 2002 and Pal's own Chaos Theory in October 2002. Tickets are $15. Call (212) 279-4488.