Rushdie Knighted; Iran Seethes

Salman Rushdie, who wrote the Satanic Verses and was roundly condemned by the Iranian mullahs who put a price on his head, has been knighted by the Queen.

That, of course, means that Iran gets another opportunity to whine and seethe.

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.

"The measure that has taken place for paying tribute to this apostate and detested figure will definitely put British statesmen and officials at odds with Islamic societies, the emotions and sentiments of which have again been provoked."

He added that the knighthood showed that the process of insulting Islamic sanctities was not accidental but was being supported by some Western countries.

It also reinforces the fact that the Islamists will seek to smother any opinions and views that are contrary to their own. They will argue that those Muslims who do not view Islam the way they do as apostate. Apostasy is a crime punishable by death.

What the Iranians are saying, in effect, is that they've renewed calls for Rushdie's head on a platter. While the British knight people with swords with a tap on each shoulder, the Iranians would much rather have used that sword to hack off Rushdie's head.

UPDATE:
The bounty increases. An Iranian NGO raised its $100,000 bounty on Rushdie to $150,000. Such lovely people. Such lovely respect for free speech. Dissent is not allowed. Dissent is met with violence - up to and including death.

This is the modus operandi of the Islamists. There is no tolerance of the other. There is no allowance for anyone to believe in alternative views of Islam. Such views are considered apostasy. Rushdie knows this all too well.