More reactions to Rushdie knighthood
The Guardian today reveals how the honours committee which recommended Salman Rushdie for a knighthood was “stunned” by the reactions from Iran and Pakistan.
The committee was chaired by Lord Rothschild, and included, Jenny Abramsky, Ben Okri, Andreas Whittam Smith, John Gross, and two permanent secretaries – one from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, and the other from the Scottish executive.
Jonathan Heawood of PEN international summed up quite nicely:
It seems a shame that a few lines in his fourth novel should have turned him into this hate figure. He has become a Guy Fawkes figure to be thrown on a bonfire whenever it suits a government to divert attention from what is happening in their own countries.
Other quotes picked up by The Guardian at the end of the article:
Hari Kunzru
“The idea that it is some kind of calculated insult is an absurdity. The real insult – to the intelligence and decency of ‘the world’s 1.5 billion Muslims’, for whom people such as Mohammed Ejaz ul-Haq presume to speak – comes from the ignorance and paranoia of leaders who feel so threatened by a novelist that they’ll call for him to be killed.”Kathy Lette
“Being Australian, of course, I’m slightly allergic to royal anointing of any kind … but I am definitely in favour of celebrating the achievements of writers. Salman deserves to win every accolade imaginable for his creative gifts, but also for his immense bravery.”Lisa Appignanesi
“For Iran’s foreign ministry to wade into our honours system and portray the decision to honour Rushdie as ‘an orchestrated act of aggression directed against Islamic societies’ is to repeat the mistake which began with Ayatollah Khomeini’s fatwa.”Will Self
“Given the furore that The Satanic Verses occasioned, it does strike me that any responsible writer might ask himself whether the fallout from accepting such an honour was really worth the bauble … it is surely better that writers decline any form of honour.”Ruth Dudley Edwards
“There is only one explanation why Rushdie has been singled out. It is that Tony Blair … wants to put two fingers up to Iran as well as to extremist Islam everywhere.”
The implication that we should not do as we want for fear of homicidal fantasists in other parts of the world must surely be a form of terrorism? I really do hope that we don’t roll over and let the theocrats win on this issue, as that would be a real message (unlike the imagined message that the knighthood was supposed to represent) to any set of religious nutcases that they can control the rest of us.
I’ve done a few searches on the Parliament website, and so far there seem to be no mentions of Rushdie in any debates, as recorded by Hansard. I will keep checking for a few days – there really ought to have been an official statement from the PM by now: Pakistan’s government has essentially told Muslims that they are right to blow themselves up to protect the Prophet’s honour.
In the light of recent events, if the Prophet’s honour is in question, the natural thing to do would seem to be to get his father and uncle to have him killed.
The only official response I have found is this one, from the number 10 website:
It seems rather feeble to me. Maybe the PM is waiting until he leaves so that Gordon can deal with it…
I have a great idea for a business venture. I am going to set up an online ordering service which will provide effigies of all creeds and colours for people to burn. Guaranteed flammable. Also provided will be a range of flags and books… impress your friends, and look good on tv! It’d make a fortune, if I could figure out how to get a British safety kite-thing for a burning bush…
sargeist – the best course of action with these lonies is to ignore them, just asthey should’ve ignored the awarding of this pointless bauble.