Salman Rushdie title 'may spark attacks'

[maximus]

Britain's knighthood to the author Salman Rushdie contributes to insulting Islam and may lead to terrorism, a Pakistani minister has said.

I stil cannot work out why they did this, was it a gaffe or a deliberate snub to Iran / Islamic countries? was Rushdie worthy of a knighthood anyway?

Also, as we are now being threatened by the Pakistani government, should we still be sending aid to that nation?

[Buffoon]

Neither can anyone else work out why. Any idiot would know it was going to cause trouble, but Labour is not up to idiot standards. I am not qualified to comment on the quality of Rushdie's work.

We should never have been sending so much aid to Pakistan in the first place and now that they have been promoting terrorism in the UK then they should face the same sanctions as any other state that sponsors terrorism.

[anally retentive]

although personally i reckon h from steps is probably worth a knighthood more that salmon-chops, i don't really see why we need to take advice on our national awards from any foreign government.

[thunderlizard]

If there is such a thing as an important (British) novelist, he's one of them: both within magical realism and postcolonial lit. Well done Sir Salman I say.

[PRC1964]

If there is such a thing as an important (British) novelist, he's one of them: both within magical realism and postcolonial lit. Well done Sir Salman I say.

I 100% agree. He is a fantastic writer and I think that he deserves the award.

Even if he was a rubbish writer. It is up to our country to decide who we honour and not Pakistan.

[shoes]

A big two fingers to the loonies, good choice. We're far too timid and back away far too readily on the off-chance of offending the minority of the irrational/mentally ill these days. It sends a message. A monarchy insulated from the rabid fashions of the time can be a good thing after all.

[Zapico]

If I recall Channel 4 News this evening, the Pakistan Govt was hinting that suicide bombings might be justified in response to the great offence caused to all Muslims across the world by the awarding of a knighthood.

So, let me get this right.

Suicide bombing, which is an indiscriminate and horrific method of the mass killing of completely innocent people, (and we only have to think of the number of innocent Shia and Sunni Muslims killed in Iraq) is a justifiable response to a sense of insult and victimisation felt towards your own brand of religion?

If I also recall rightly, the book, The Satanic Verses, was also pretty 'blasphemous' towards Christianity, though we don't see hoards of Christians flocking to B&Q to by lengths 6"x6" wooden posts and a bag of 9" nails. Probably because Christians have already had their loopy phase with Witchfinder Generals and Inquisitions in the middle ages.

I'm becoming less concerned about Rushdie (and I have to admit I've never read any of his works) and more fearful of what religion can do to the art of rational, intelligent and moderate thinking.

[AtW]

what religion can do to the art of rational, intelligent and moderate thinking.

Religion is opium for the masses.

(c) Lenin.

[thunderlizard]

Marx actually.

[AtW]

Marx actually.

Hmm, I was thinking that too - oh well, I suppose I was not listening to communist propaganda well back in USSR