UK News
Britain defends Rushdie knighthood as criticism grows (Roundup)
Jun 20, 2007, 16:47 GMT
London - Iraq Wednesday joined the list of countries criticizing Britain's knighthood award for author Salman Rushdie while a British government minister defended the honour.
Iraq's Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said during a visit to London Wednesday that the award for Rushdie was 'untimely.'
'This is my view. I don't have any official position from my government on this issue, but I think it would be used by many quarters to exploit this issue outside this country,' said Zebari.
He stressed that Iraq, as a Muslim country, shared the 'views of many Muslims.'
The knighthood, proposed by the Labour government and to be awarded by Queen Elizabeth II, has sparked an angry response in Pakistan, Iran, Malaysia and other parts of the Muslim world.
Zebari made his criticism in response to a question by a journalist, with his host, Britain's Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett, standing beside him.
Beckett's Foreign Office has been involved in a diplomatic spat with Pakistan over the Rushdie affair, after a Pakistani minister was reported as having said that the honour could be seen by some Muslims as justifying suicide bombings.
While the office of Prime Minister Tony Blair, who proposed the award, has refrained from commenting on the row, Home Secretary John Reid told an audience in New York Wednesday that the British government stood by the honour and would not 'apologize' for it.
The Indian-born author, who is a British citizen, enraged opinion in the Muslim world with his 1988 novel The Satanic Verses, which was considered blasphemous against Islam by Iran and made Rushdie the subject of a fatwa (death sentence) by the late Ayatollah Khomenei.
Rushdie, 60, has said he was 'thrilled and humbled' by the honour, but has otherwise kept a low profile since the row erupted last weekend.
In Tehran, the Iranian Foreign Ministry summoned the British ambassador, Geoffrey Adams, over the knighting, the Fars news agency reported Wednesday.
The ambassador was told that the move was regarded by Tehran as a 'provocative act' which angered one and a half billion Muslims worldwide.
However, the British ambassador insisted that the honour was given for Rushdie's services for literature and should therefore not be regarded as insult.
Diplomatic protests have also been exchanged between Britain and Pakistan, after Mohammed Ijaz ul-Haq, Pakistan's minister for religious affairs, was reported as having said that the honour for Rushdie could be seen by some Muslims as justifying suicide attacks.
Britain's ambassador to Pakistan, Robert Brinkley, has expressed 'deep concern' at the minister's comments while also insisting that the honour was not meant to offend Muslims.
Pakistan's National Assembly has demanded that Britain withdraw the honour, while unanimously adopting a resolution condemning the knighthood as 'an insult to the religious sentiments of Muslims.'
But Reid, while conceding that the issue was 'sensitive,' ruled out an apology by the British government, saying that the protection of people's right to express their opinions in literature, argument and politics was 'of over-riding value to our society.'
'I think we have a set of values that accrues people honours for their contribution to literature even when they don't agree with our point of view. That's our way and that's what we stand by,' said Reid.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-AgenturCOMMENT
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Older Talkback
page: 1
'Muslim Fruitcakes Attack UK over Rushdie Knighthood.'
UK politely tells them to bugger off.
Well the Muslims will have to stop being petty children and deal with it. There are thousands of books denouncing Christianity and no one is strapping bombs on their chest because of it. Get out of the 12th century please. The more criticism of religion, the better.
It's time for the west to take off the white gloves of enlightenment, unlock the gold hand-cuffs of courtesy, and pick up the big, ass stick of western might to teach the arabs to mind their own sand dunes.
They can riot and burn down their own shite ass little countries all day long for all I care. The problem is really going to be in 20 years as western europe is importing them at an alarming rate.
Frankly my dear, we just don't give a damn..
Nothing brings more dishonor to Islam than Muslims.
Here we go again. Will somebody *please* publish a cartoon depicting Mohammed knighting Rushdie, so that these nutjobs can stop looking for an excuse to kill innocents just for having different beliefs.
Oh wait they already do that.
Perhaps there are many books written that denounce Christians but you dont see their authors gaining one of the highest honours in the UK. We only propogate hatred by rewarding ignorance and bringing it to the forefront.
In light of the threats that Pakistan has made, the Brits would be justified, and well advised to deny entry to any and all muslims until further notice. Not only that, but they should begin to purge their country of the cancer already growing from within.
No need to propogate hatred from the muslims. they've got thousands of years of practice behind them and they've got it down pat.
Will the Ayatolla issue a Fatwa on whichever Royal Knights Rushdie?
*pictures the Queen and Charles playing sissor stone paper*
Silly muslimes.
I think we Brits, and all these previous writers here, should put their emotions aside and deal with reality as we cannot and must not start behaving like the very people that we condem.Those people are totally unable to distinguish between emotion and reason which is why they have to be treated very cautiously ..It is not being 'submissive' to overlook freedom of speech in order to preserve the safety of British citizens but it is utterly foolish to invite further hostilities by inciting already irrational beings with an argument that they would never fully understand anyway.Being outright insensitive is not the way to induce any kind of dialogue with those who do not share our values and ramming those values down their throats will not make for a more peaceful world either.
A calm quiet and rational approach is needed when dealing with an obviously extremely delicate situation....we need to prove that provocation is not our style and we will not be set up to react exactly the way these poeple are just eagerly waiting for.They need excuses to ferment their wars and their hatred and in in this case we gave them one on a plate...
Knighting this man only lowers the status of British Crown.
With the Knighthood for Rushdie, Britain has stood up for Western values. As an American, I will be proud if my government equals your committment and courage.
When is Richard Dawkins getting knighted? It's not only islam that is insane, but all the delusional beliefs of a ghost running the universe. I can't wait for the day when all religion is shown for what it is, control over the weak minded.
Amen
It all started thousands of years ago because Abraham couldn't keep his stick in his pants. Ishmael, the bastard son, was born founding the Islamic religion and they've been a pissy, grunpy, bunch of zealots ever since.
Im going to write some books and see if that german slag the english adore gives me a knighthood.
The first will be entitled 'Jesus you queer hippy'
and the second 'Buddah you little fat baldy prick'
Such great works should not offend anyone except the looney christians
and bhudists so who gives a shit.
brian
. . well, no matter what your chosen title might be, if you write a meaningful and insightful work, which becomes an international best seller. Then, if you stand proud in the face of death threats from religious zealots and multimillion dollar bounties for your assasination, maybe you might be up for a knighthood, but somehow I don't think so . .
as for the honor, the English can honor who the want how they want, if your not English, what the hell do care for?
page: 1
Big_MoJun 20th, 2007 - 17:18:32
That's as good an excuse as any for these primitive bastids to kill people.
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