Here we go again - Pakistan condemns Salman Rushdie's knighthood

[edam]

Just feel exasperated. A. none of their damn business who we give knighthoods to (not that I'm in favour of knighthoods or indeed Salman bloody Rushdie) and B. why can't these extremists understand that free speech is as important to western liberal democracies as respect for the Prophet is to them?

Oh, and C. why did the presenter on Radio Four not ask the Pakistani big wig they were interviewing whether he had ever read the damn book? Also failed to ask the British muslim peer who was attacking the knighthood the same question.

[grumpy emoticon]

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/6763119.stm

Peter Hitchens (not usually a fave of mine) was magnificently irritable about it on Radio 5 this afternoon. 'What possible business is it of theirs?' and so on.

I'd normally be at least worried if not horrified to find myself in agreement with Peter Hitchens, but in this case have to 'fess up.

Infuriating isn't it? As if a man's work and life can only be defined by one (nothing like his best) novel.

And then there's the Catholic anger at a Taverner piece being played in Westminster Cathedral (correct me if that isn't right - can't remember) because it's inspired by Muslim scripture.

which British Muslim peer was it?

I can't remember, was cooking/supervising ds at the time, but apparently he is either the only one or was the first one. Said knighthood was wrong, would damage our reputuation abroad, SR is the fount of all evil, etc. etc. etc. Didn't seem to occur to him that we are supposed to have a little thing called free speech round these parts...

There are a few... must have been Lord Ahmed. I was thinking of Iqbal Sacranie but of course he is 'only' a knight.

I certainly think less of Salman Rushdie than I did before, for accepting it.

OrmIrian, I know some Muslims are pretty ticked off with the Westminster Cathedral thing, actually.

Iqbal Sacranie - boycotter of Holocaust Memorial Day, and denouncer of homosexuals, who believes "death is too good..." for Salman Rushdie. All round anti-liberal? Yeah, give the man a knighthood for "services to community relations" .

LOL Margo - maybe we should point that out to Pakistan and Iran to demonstrate that we don't care who we give knighthoods to.

It's quite a thought though, isn't it - the knightings of Sacranie (2005) and Rushdie are pretty good illustrations of a policy change in the last 2 years, aren't they?

Are they Suebaroo?

I will never understand in a million years the way religion works.

I do think with the current political climate the powers that choose who to knight could have been a bit more sensitive We are all at risk from terror attacks no good adding fuel to the already big fire imo.And Rushdies writing is rubbish

Rubbish! I loved Midnights Children - one of my favourite novels

SOrry that should have said "rubbish?". Not quite so combative....

OrmIrian, yes, some Muslims consider musical instruments to be forbidden, so you put something as sacred to Muslims as the names of Allah to music, and it's like an insult rather than a compliment. I bit like reading a Quran down the pub, I s'pose.

If you then perform it in a Trinitarian Christian church, and there's a whole world of offense to be had.

You're right though, it's a complicated business.

If it was Sacranie, I think the really shocking and appalling thing is that utterly dreadful man was given a knighthood. He's disgusting.

I think they should get over themselves.

I never knew that Suebaroo - I knew that images of Allah were not permitted but didn't know that music wasn't. The Taverner thing would be a problem then...

Not for me, it isn't. I find it SO offensive that they have rules that they choose to live by but then expect everyone else to live by them too - on pain of death! Aaargh! I had to turn the news off last night as I find it fills me with rage.
I find the kind of religious 'morality' that gets upset about a bit of respectful singing or a novel, but thinks murdering writers, editors and translaters is a jolly good idea is well...words fail me.

I don't see why we should be sensitive to nutters, tbh. Free speech is a very important principle and we shouldn't give in to extremists who try to silence anyone who discusses ideas.

did anyone watch Jon Snow (I think) on channel 4 news?

he was interviewing someone, I forget the name, and really grilled him

what shocked me was footage of people burning Salman Rushdie pictures (from years ago) and in the background was BIG BEN!!! How was that allowed in this country????

Oo, don't you remember when it all kicked off? Muslim friends of mine were very depressed about it at the time, saying the extremists were giving them a bad name.

Fio, it was the Pakistani parliament, so representing the nation. Nice of them to call for suicide bombings.

the thing that is so hard for us to understand in the West is that Islam isn't just a religion its everything. So attacking Islam to them is like attacking motherhood to us here on Mumsnet. It is the defining thing in their lives, Muslim first, Pakistani second etc.

So, even though I intensely dislike the extremist reactions, I can understand how they feel so strongly about something like this - in their view Rushdie attacked the heart of their being and now the British government and the Queen are saying thats ok. Would you not react similarly if the USA suddenly decided that women were attacked?