Friday, June 22, 2007
News Emory writer Rushdie again focus of Muslim ire
Posted by Taylor Barnes on Fri, Jun 22, 2007 at 6:35 PM
The Queen's birthday party left one of its guests with an unsavory party favor. Sir Salman Rushdie, Indian-born author and distinguished writer in residence at Emory, found that the Queen's conferral of knighthood upon him at her birthday honors ceremony renewed hostile sentiment against him in Pakistan and Iran.
Rushdie first came under target in 1988 when he published The Satanic Verses. Its allegedly sacrilegious depiction of Muhammad led Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini to call for the writer's execution.
Pakistani and Iranian authorities took offense at the Brits' knighting the author, given his unpopularity in the Muslim world. "If someone commits suicide bombing to protect the honour of the Prophet Mohammad, his act is justified," Pakistan's Religious Affairs Minister said in response to the knighthood, according to Reuters.
Despite the threats, the author — perhaps with manners he learned in the South — still graciously accepted the title. "I am thrilled and humbled to receive this great honour, and am very grateful that my work has been recognised in this way," Sir Rushdie said.
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