The British are standing pat on the Rushdie knighthood. Good for them.
Britain will not apologize for its decision to bestow a knighthood on writer Salman Rushdie, the home secretary said Wednesday, highlighting the need to protect freedom of expression in literature and politics.
[…] Pakistan’s religious affairs minister, Ejaz ul-Haq, told lawmakers on Monday that “if someone exploded a bomb on his body he would be right to do so unless the British government apologizes and withdraws the ‘sir’ title.”
But Home Secretary John Reid defended Britain’s decision to honor Rushdie, one of the most prominent novelists of the late 20th century whose 13 books have won numerous awards, including the Booker Prize for “Midnight’s Children” in 1981.
“We have a set of values that accrues people honors for their contribution to literature even when they don’t agree with our point of view,” Reid said after a speech to business leaders in New York. “We have a right to express opinions and a tolerance of other people’s point of view, and we don’t apologize for that.”
Yeah, it’s about time the Brits remembered that they have the right of free speech over there, too.
But watch for them to find some more “acceptable” Muslim figure to knight at the next opportunity.
Too bad old hook-hand got deported.
They knighted Sir Iqbal Sacranie long ago, so you might call it a preemptive knighting of a figure acceptable to the fanatical lunatics around the world. I like the suggestion that if Pakistan doesn’t like this action it can return several hundred millions of aid the UK gave the Paks in the last year. Anyone want to bet they will, like Giuliani telling that Fraudi Prince where to get off? Anybody? Bueller?
Too bad they did not summon up their spines when the Iranians took their sailors and Marines prisoner, but waited for a trivial, symbolic incident instead.