Sir Salman Rushdie

I was quiet surprised to see that Salman Rushdie was nighted in the Queen's Birthday honours. I'm not sure why some people get honours and others do not, but surly a man who has alienated the Global muslim community should not be honoured in this way. There is so much talk of community cohesion at the moment and so much tension since 9/11 that surely a move like this can only be seen as divisive.

I realise that Rushdie has written far more than just the satanic verses, but this is his most famous book at this is the book that cause all the controversy. I will defend Salman Rushdie's right to write the book, but by giving him a knighthood sends out all the wrong messages at this religiously sensitive time.

Technorati Tags: Salman Rusdie, Queen's Honours

Comments

[jebuff]

Rushdie is a wonderful humanist writer, one who happens to have been born Muslim, and who deserves the many honors he's received. He has called for a Reformation of Islam, much like Christian dissidents before Martin Luther. The early Christian establishment was very much as brutal as the Muslim hard-liners are today with their critics, so let's be careful about pretending that we're above all that. Tolerance comes with maturity, and Christians shouldn't cast any stones at Muslims, whose religion is younger, but the vast majority of whom personify generosity & kindness.

[Ben Edson]

no stones have been cast...except at the queen! So i totally agree with your comments re muslims personifying generosity and kindness.

[kester]

I'm afraid I totally disagree. The appointment may be contentious, but only because of the reaction of some hard-liners. Would the church - or even the State, given our political make-up - be threatening action against countries who honoured Dawkins?

I think the action against Rushdie was utterly unacceptable and I know that moderate Muslims would agree. He is writing from within his own tradition; wasn't Islam robust enough to simply ignore it? Wouldn't that have left the book to sink without much fuss?

His writing may have been offensive to Muslims, but that is no reason to threaten violence, or to actually carry it out, as was the case with the killing of the guy who published it in Japan. TSV offends lots of people - Brits get a hard time in the book too - and if an 'immature Islam' is offended, we should not bow to that and promise never to honour anyone who challenges it.

States should not be cowed by violence, and I am glad that he has been honoured. His books, on their literary merits, certainly deserve it.

[Ben Edson]

I'm pleased that you disagree, Kester! and you make some good points.

As much as anything, I just think that it's insensitive - the appointment has ignited an old fire that I think we, church and state, should be working to extinguish rather than adding fuel.

No we shouldn't pander to extremists but at the same time we can't just act as if they don't exist. It's about our global responsibility, we're not a country in isloation, our actions can have serious consequences.

I agree, the actions against Rusdie were totally unacceptable but this is not about TSV. It's about our responsibility as a country to constructively promote global cohesion. Do we therefore go for the lowest common denominator? No, but we try to be as respectful as possible, this appointment stinks of british imperialism - we like him and we don't care that he has created a considerable ammount of global division...

ps. I'm not even sure if i agree withy what i'm saying!!

[Kester]

I'm not sure he has caused much division... Just watching Question Time now, and it's being well pointed out that many many Muslim writers wrote in support of Rushdie. The fatwa was not launched by a moderate force, but by a fundamentalist. So the division is not between 'us' and 'Islam', but within Islam itself.

And us cowing to that is, to my mind, shameful.

[Ben Edson]

I watched newsnight to and found it a really interesting debate. It was also pointed out that moderate Muslims in the Lords were also offended by the text and thought that the timing was insenstive.

next thing you'll be saying is that Ryan Giggs deserved his OBE! He has caused more division that Rushdie, esp. with that goal against Arsenal...

[Richard Sudworth]

I'm afraid my inferfaith sensibilities come into conflict with my literary sensibilities on this one....But actually I feel feel that Rushdie should be free to be honoured in this way. Interestingly, a gathering of leading Christians and Muslim academics this week was split right down the middle amongst both faith groups. So maybe it's only right that my views of Rushdie as a great novelist tip the balance of the argument for me personally. Our problem here is exactly the fact that there is no equivalent to force the argument. We are in a new situation here...as another Arsenal fan, even an award to Ryan Giggs is not so inflammatory (Alex Ferguson maybe a different matter!).

[Rhea]

I'm an American, but personally I think that it's great that Rushdie was knighted. Perhaps the Satanic Verses have "displeased" some Muslims...but Rushdie's writings have shown many non-Muslims the truth about Islam. It's not a religion of peace. Moderate Islam really doesn't exist. Moderate Muslims have to basically "throw up" parts of the Koran to say that their religion is one of peace.