The Satanic Verses=Muhammad giving in to the wishes of the Quraysh:
The Satanic Verses refer to statements supposedly made in order to appease the desires of the tribes accustomed to worshipping the Daughters of God, al-Lat, al-Uzza, and Manat.
The original 53rd Sura went like this:
Have you considered al-Lat, al-Uzza, and Manat, the third, the other? These are the exalted birds[<I>gharaniq</I>] whose intercession is approved.
In other words, the tribes did not want to give up the worship of these three goddesses that easily so Muhammad backslided a bit.
Tradition says that Muhammad was meditating in the Ka'aba when an answer came in a "revelation" to give these three female deities a place without compromising belief in Allah as the One God. Think of it as a parallel to the Catholic reverence of Mary as intercessor for Jesus. Which is pretty much what the purpose of al-Lat, al-Uzza, and Manat were to be. The reason Muhammad went into the Ka'aba was so that he could hope to find a solution to the conflict between the Quraysh and his own message.
But that concept was later on was tossed out, as were the verses, from the Quran.
The Muslim historian Tabari has recorded the story, stating Satan put these words into Muhammad's mouth.
Of course, a true prophet, when receiving a true revelation, gives it as it is and does not cave in to the whims of what a tribe or person wants.
Before I forget, a film which I recommend as a must-see, "Muhammad, Messenger of God," it's with Anthony Quinn and Michael Ansara. It's long - a little over 3 hours, but worth watching.