Sir Salman Rushdie
Yep, it’s really official. You can even see the notice in the official London Gazette, here in PDF format. Right on the first page. Singer Joe Cocker gets an OBE, CNN reporter Christiane Amanpour and Barry “Dame Edna Everidge” Humphries get CBEs, but it’s the author who gets to score the big Sir.
It’s important to note that Sir Salman is a Knight Bachelor, meaning he’s entitled to be called “Sir Salman” (although why anyone would want to refer to him in terms that sound like a roasted fish is a different question), but he doesn’t get any letters tacked onto the end of his name.
Of course, there are certain regimes who’d like to see Sir Salman tacked onto the end of a noose, who are a little upset that the Queen would see fit to give him such an honor. Pakistan, for instance:
”This is an occasion for the (world’s) 1.5 billion Muslims to look at the seriousness of this decision,” Mohammed Ijaz ul-Haq, religious affairs minister, said in parliament.
”The West is accusing Muslims of extremism and terrorism. 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,” ul-Haq said.
Ummmmm . . . actually, no he wouldn’t. ul-Haq must be incredibly dense if he doesn’t realize that bombing Sir Salman is exactly the sort of extremist and terrorist activity for which the West condemns Islamicists.
Sir Salman didn’t get the knighthood because the Queen wanted to stick a jalapeno up the bottom of Islam. He got it because a lot of people happen to like his books (God knows why) and that happens to merit some form of recognition.
Of course, Sir Salman perfectly free to refuse his knighthood (since a knighthood and a pound note would merely get him a cup of coffee), but I sincerely hope that he doesn’t. To claim knighthood would be further proof that Britain (and the West) won’t be bullied.
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June 18th, 2007 at 21:24
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
July 8th, 2007 at 22:37
I thought it was so odd that Rushdie accepted knighthood from the British crown. Not just alliegiance to the state, but to the CROWN.
… it’s… retarded. Or did he have “Midnight’s Children” and “The Moor’s Last Sigh” reflect anti-colonial-bastards sentiments that he did not feel?