I’ve long known about Salman Rushdie, the Indian author who has lived under an Islamic death sentence since 1989. Maybe it is time for me to add The Satanic Verses or one of his other novels to my reading list.
He is the victim of renewed ire from the Muslim world because the British Empire recently knighted him for his contribution to literature.
Rushdie went into hiding after Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini issued a 1989 religious edict ordering Muslims to kill Rushdie because his novel allegedly insulted Islam. Iran’s government said in 1998 it could not retract the fatwa.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry summoned the British ambassador to complain over Britain’s decision to grant a knighthood to Rushdie.
In New York, British Home Secretary John Reid said Britain will not apologise for its decision to bestow a knighthood on Rushdie.
“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,” Reid said in response to a question after a speech to US business leaders.
In Malaysia people protested outside the British embassy following news of the knighthood.
Chanting “Destroy Salman Rushdie” and “Destroy Britain”, some 30 members of the opposition Parti Islam se-Malaysia urged Britain to withdraw the honour or risk the consequences.
“This has tainted the whole knighthood, the whole hall of fame of the British system,” party treasurer Hatta Ramli said.
The knighthood to Rushdie has also triggered massive protests in Pakistan where hundreds of people protested in the central city of Multan.
There, an effigy of Rushdie and a British flag were burned for the third day running. Effigies of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II were burned earlier in the week.
Traders, religious students and members of a religious party held separate demonstrations throughout the week.
Anytime someone is threatened with death because they are a vocal dissenter, especially a non-violent vocal dissenter, I feel I should probably find out why there is such a furor. Salman Rushdie must be saying something that makes sense.