From the BBC, “Iran condemns Rushdie knighthood”:
His book The Satanic Verses offended Muslims worldwide and led to Iran issuing a fatwa in 1989, ordering Sir Salman’s execution.Iran Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini said the decision to praise the “apostate” showed Islamophobia among British officials.
The UK Foreign Office said Sir Salman’s honour was “richly deserved”.
[...]
Mr Hosseini told a press conference: “Giving a medal to someone who is among the most detested figures in the Islamic community is… a blatant example of the anti-Islamism of senior British officials.
— or, to paraphrase, “anti-Islam” or “Islamaphobia” has now been defined down to include “not agreeing with what Islam has declared is righteous and good — which in this case includes calls for murder based on a dislike over a work of fiction.”
Other examples of “Islamaphobia,” based on this thinking, are as follows: the existence of pigs and Jews and alcohol. Women voting. Beardless men. High tops. Churches. Fun.
Probably much else, too, but I’m not in the mood to think it through right now.
[...][Mr Hosseini] added that the knighthood showed that the process of insulting Islamic sanctities was not accidental but was being supported by some Western countries.
— especially those who unscrupulously adhere to the pluralistic tenets that make Western countries Western.
Which, that’s just plain intolerant — and certainly not in keeping with the teachings of the Enlightenment.
At least, not if you believe, say, the Boston Globe editors. Or even certain leftist literary figures, who (predictably) lecture from the illiberal perspective of post-colonial theory, and who find it simply abominable that Rushdie would use his literary talents in the service of a kind of linguistic natural rights universalism, rather than in the more proper sphere of cultural relativism and identity-group defined and dictated “consensus”-diction (one man’s “terrorist” being another man’s “freedom fighter,” you see).
Sir Salman, 59, was one of almost 950 people to appear on the Queen’s Birthday Honours list, which was announced on Saturday.
All are nominated by the public or expert organisations.
A spokesman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office declined to comment on the Iranian spokesman’s remarks, saying Sir Salman’s honour had been deserved and the reasons for it were self-explanatory.
Just as the reasons Islamists oppose it are self-explanatory: they’re fucking fanatics who will not rest until their worldview is globally ascendant.
And if that means using the tropes of multiculturalism and western guilt over perceived hegemony in order (ironically) to foster their own medievalist hegemony on the modern world, well, so be it.
You can’t make a fanatical omelet without breaking a few progressive eggs.
(h/t David Thompson, who has much more; see also, Norm Geras)
Comment by rt on 6/18 @ 10:45 am #
i’d say something, but you’ve pretty much said all that mattered on the subject.
it’s been what? ten years plus and they’re still p*ssed at this guy and his book? then again, didn’t al-queda list one of it’s goals as the retaking of spain? after having lost it over 5 centuries ago?
these guys really do need some sort of release… i mean, besides making bombs and repressing their womenfolk and such.
Comment by Major John on 6/18 @ 10:46 am #
So if Sir Salman had written a work that stirred up, say, Roman Catholic anger, the usual suspects would be loudly proclaiming his knighthood to be a wonderful thing. Defense of free speech and artistic integrity against reactionary bigots, blah blah blah…
Humpf!
Of course the Vatican, as far as I can tell, hasn’t issued any death warrants lately.
Comment by Cafe Alpha on 6/18 @ 11:14 am #
Speaking of the redefinition of meaning, if those of us who believe in universal rights and, say a universal liberation of humanity are not called "liberals" or "progressives" anymore, what <i>are</i> we called?
Comment by TODD on 6/18 @ 11:20 am #
Islam just proving itself crazy one more time….
Comment by mojo on 6/18 @ 11:22 am #
Test test… Is this thing on?
Comment by LagunaDave on 6/18 @ 11:36 am #
BEHEAD THOSE WHO SAY ISLAM IS INTOLERANT!
Comment by Farmer Joe on 6/18 @ 11:41 am #
That’s been evident for quite a while, hasn’t it?
Comment by mojo on 6/18 @ 12:08 pm #
HALP MEEE MR. WIZZARD!!!
Comment by happyfeet on 6/18 @ 12:11 pm #
Books are instigators.
Comment by Tman on 6/18 @ 12:14 pm #
Do we dare risk upsetting the "Arab Street"?
I’m betting that this particular street doesn’t sell much Ice Cream. Because Ice Cream is satanic, what with the jimmies mixing with the vanilla and all.
You know what else is satanic? Fanatical Islamists.
But apparently this has been said before.
Comment by FabioC. on 6/18 @ 12:59 pm #
What has always amazed me is how quick Islamic radicals have been to adopt the language of multiculturalism and post-modernism. Well, that may date back to Edward Said himself in fact. In any case, they may be wicked but not so stupid.
Comment by Cafe Alpha on 6/18 @ 2:13 pm #
I actually had an intelligent comment, but firefox hiccuped and swallowed it. Plus a proof for Fermat’s last theorem, but that’s been done.
Comment by Veeshir on 6/18 @ 2:24 pm #
While I’m all in favor of pissing off jihadi idiots, why did Rushdie get a knighthood? What did he do to deserve it? Can anybody get one these days?
If so, how do I sign up. Sir Veeshir has a nice ring to it. Much better than being called sir the way I usually am; "You sir, are an ass."
Comment by Jeff G. on 6/18 @ 2:34 pm #
I think he got one for being a pretty talented fiction writer. Much like McCartney got one for having to put up with Lennon’s artistic posturings, or Elton John got one for having to put up with his own artistic posturings.
Personally, I’m bucking for viscount. But if that fails, I’m going for Pardoner.
Comment by BJTexs on 6/18 @ 3:11 pm #
Personally I’d like to see the abolition of the "-phobia" terms. Homophobia, Islamophobia, Christianphobia, Whoops, sorry! The idea that a disagreement with a particular group over a particular issue manifests a mental condition on par with an unreasoned fear of spiders or closets or sockpuppets uncomfortably echos those great totalitarian concepts of shipping off dissident to mental institutions. "You criticise the State, you must be insane!"
I do have a certain fear of Jihadists, but it’s not unreasoned.
Comment by Mikey NTH on 6/18 @ 3:46 pm #
Amazing. An eighty year old grandmother shows more guts than those who speak truth to power as a profession. If there was any shame in the intelligentsia they’d be dying from it right now.
Of course, the reaction should be interesting if she gets targeted for this. Still, a good example of "Never, never, never surrender."
Comment by ccs on 6/18 @ 6:08 pm #
Sorry Mojo but if you mean Don Herbert he passed away last week, on the other hand if you mean Rincewind he was last seen moving at a high rate of speed in a direction of ‘away’.
Comment by furriskey on 6/18 @ 9:05 pm #
These so called radical critics, Leavis, Derrida, these boys are just pussies.
When it comes to getting your point of view across with an AK 47 and a couple of ounces of C4, the Hosseini School of Islamic Snittery is your only man.
Comment by Cafe Alpha on 6/18 @ 11:01 pm #
…or Elton John got one for having to put up with his own
artistic posturings.Did they give it to him before or after he cribbed "Candle in the Wind" from himself. Really I lost all respect for him. If only he’d sued himself for infringement.
Comment by Jeffersonian on 6/18 @ 11:03 pm #
Kinda like if the Modern Language Association had a militia, Furriskey?
Comment by furriskey on 6/19 @ 1:23 am #
You mean they don’t?
I’m resigning.
Comment by TDK on 6/20 @ 5:38 am #
why did Rushdie get a knighthood?
Rushdie got it for Midnight’s Children
Comment by Swen Swenson on 6/20 @ 8:50 am #
Yeah, I want one of them knighthoods too:
Liberals and progressives believe in universal rights and the universal liberation of humanity except for Iraqis? When did they start doing that? …
Oh, I get it! We’ve all got a "Right" to an equal share of socialist misery progressive utopia. We’ve all got a "Right" to free thought and expression believe whatever our betters deem politically correct. And above all, we all have a "Right" to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness be nannied by an ever-larger and more intrusive government! What was I thinking?
Comment by Swen Swenson on 6/20 @ 9:01 am #
Okaaay, so paragraph formatting and strikeouts aren’t quite WYSIWYG yet. Imagine that "socialist misery", "free thought and expression", and "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" had little lines through them above. Wouldn’t want to put those words in the mouths of our liberal and progressive brethren and sistren.
Comment by Swen Swenson on 6/20 @ 9:14 am #
Oh, and don’t forget to cross out "except for Iraqis"!
I haven’t been drinking, Really! Bourbon and hot wings is a Bosler, Wyoming breakfast tradition. (Hmm.. That musical allusion is so obscure Google’s never heard of it. I have work to do..)
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