Salman Rushdie has been knighted by Queen Elizabeth II. “Sir Salman” has a delightfully odd but mellifluous ring.
Of course, some are not happy. David Thompson and Norman Geras examine the ugly reaction and a particularly egregious example of condescending leftist vitriol about what the knighting “really” means.
It all adds up to depressing reading, and I worry that Sir Salman, who has recently been able to live relatively free of worry about the 1989 fatwa calling for his death, will face renewed threats. It’s a good time to remember Hitoshi Igarati, Japanese translator of The Satanic Verses, who was murdered in 1991 for his services to literature. And to remember that defending liberal principles is not some decadent concern of overprivileged Westerners, but a matter of life and death.
Young Fogey | 18-Jun-07 at 7:44 pm | Permalink
Whilst I have no particular interest in Sir Salman’s novels I am pleased to see him honoured as his knighthood demonstrates that whilst honouring our own we will not be intimidated or influenced by outside political pressures.
It is of course ludicrous to claim that this honour is “an obvious example of fighting against Islam by high-ranking British officials.” Were this true we would not have seen a 2005 knighthood bestowed by The Queen upon Sir Iqbal Sacranie, Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain, described by The Guardian as the “Most Influential Muslim in the UK”.
Rather than criticise the British government, Iran should congratulate Britain for having recently raised a number of British Muslims to the highest ranks of British Society as members of the House of Lords. These include Lord Ahmed of Rotherham, the first Muslim peer; Lord Patel of Blackburn, leader of the British Hajj Delegation; Baroness Falkner of Margravine; and Baroness Uddin of Bethnal Green. See my blog for more: http://www.bloggingyoungfogey.blogspot.com
Julien | 19-Jun-07 at 3:28 am | Permalink
Excellent points all. It’s also worth noting that Sir Salman was only one of many to be knighted recently. I wonder if Priyamvada Gopal finds something sinister in the honoring of cricketer Ian Botham, phonics advocate Jim Rose, or jazz pianist George Shearing, to name just a few.
Thank you for reading and for the link to your blog.