Britain stands by its decision to honour author Salman Rushdie, despite protests by Pakistan and Iran, Home Secretary John Reid has said.

While agreeing it was "sensitive", the right to express opinions was "of over-riding value" to society, he said.

Iraqi foreign minister Hoshyar Zebari said the knighthood was "untimely", but a matter for the British government.

Mr Rushdie went into hiding after an Iranian fatwa ordered his execution, over his 1988 book The Satanic Verses.

Mr Reid told an audience in New York that many Christians had been offended by Monty Python's Life of Brian, while some Jewish people were offended by Mel Gibson's film The Passion of the Christ.

"We have to be sensitive, but I think that we take the approach that in the long-run the protection of the right to express opinions in literature, argument and politics is of over-riding value to our society," he said.

"We have very strong laws about promoting racial intolerance. It isn't a free-for-all. We've thought very carefully about it.

"But we have a right to express opinions and a tolerance of other people's point of view, and we don't apologise for that."

'Provocative act'

Salman was awarded a knighthood on Saturday, in the Queen's Birthday Honours.

Iran has protested, summoning the UK ambassador in Tehran and saying the award was a "provocative act".

"This insulting, suspicious and improper act by the British government is an obvious example of fighting against Islam," Iran's Foreign Ministry Director for Europe, Ebrahim Rahimpour, was quoted as saying by the state-run Irna news agency.

Pakistan has voiced similar protests, telling the UK envoy in Islamabad the honour showed the British government's "utter lack of sensitivity".

The British government has said the knighthood was not intended to insult Islam.

Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett said: [B]"Obviously, we are sorry if there are people who have taken very much to heart this honour, which is after all for a life-long body of literary work."

'Untimely' knighthood

But she said Salman was just one of many Muslims who had been recognised by the British honours system.

"This is part of the pattern that people who are members of the Muslim faith are very much part of our whole wider community," she said.

Asked about the row, following talks with Mrs Beckett, Iraqi foreign minister Mr Zebari said: "We believe that with all due respect to the knighthood, I think that was untimely. "This is our view and I don't have any official position from my government, let's say on this issue. But I think it will be used by many quarters to exploit this issue outside its context."

But he added it was ultimately a decision for the British authorities.

----------------BBC

Now what you people think,,,,,,what should be Muslim Ummah Stunt? How we should react?

To acquaint myself with that bustard _ _ _ & _, i have tried to check the things regarding him and found some information, you pple may found some basics about Salman Rushdie from following links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salman_Rushdie
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sat...es_%28novel%29
http://www.subir.com/rushdie.html

The knighthood was made to ignite Muslim feelings and sentiments....

__________________
'Thee woh ik shakhs kay tasawar saay - abb woh ranayee khayal kahaan'

Walking on the path of sorrow,
wandering in the vale of contempeletion
I tried to explore,Perpetual Heaven,
but that made me confounded
when i couldnt found it
In the fragrence of air,in the freshness of flowers,
in the crest of progression
not even in the apparent effulgence of this world...
but then i find in
when i met forlon humanity
and started living with her
and when she gave birth to peace and tlolerance
I saw this universe smiling
with glimpses of peace and care
I think so western lobby know very well how to make muslims angry because their aim is to prove that muslims are fundamentalists and terrorists.Although we cannot bring back hey days of islam but this is a right time for musharaf and all muslim leaders of other countries to teach a lesson to mr.bush.but not in that way in which they want.As far as people of pakistan are concern they should peacefully protest and that protest should begin from this aim that we have to prove whole world the real face of islam and this purpse should be operatrd inidividually.And our leaders should open their eyes and should learn a lesson from history.and i think if they can award salman rushdi i think musharaf should also award something to osama and should bring America in the line of Fire.........so that it could be proved that Tit For Tat.wake up our so called puppes of america you guys know what i mean

Its an "ABSOLUTE Deliberate NON sence" by British authorities.No body knows what this stupidity means better than Tony Blair himself.and i am very much dejected by this disgraceful act which is an offence to muslim community .i wonder what tony and is mates are up to at this stage when he is near to leave the just thing is to take the decision back.

Assalam O Alaikum

Britain's award to Salman Rushdie has made all the muslims across the globe grevious and angry. The rhetoric statements made after the protests have somewhat cured the situation. Salman Rushdie has not earned the award of a non-muslim nation for the first time. He has also been awarded previously by Germany for his infamous book "Satanic Verses".
see this link:
http://www.subir.com/rushdie/sv.html

Salman Rushdie has committed blasphemy by any defination to this particular term. The west has always considered Muslims their born enemy and is united in the cause of humiliating Muslims in the name of "Freedom of Press" and "Freedom of Literature"

There are thousands of writers who wrote obscenity and wrote in degrading and sexually explicit language. Some novels were also presented on screen. But all these people went to their graves without making any name. Neither a single country noticed their presence or demise nor they were considered acknowledgeable.But when a person speaks ill of my holy Lord (P.B.U.H) he becomes an apple of the wests' eye. This is the enlightened face of worlds' best nations.

Every Muslim regardless of the caste and conflict is unable to bear any insult to the Holy Prophet (P. B. U. H). It is very difficult to control sentiments in this situation. I am of the view that we should not protest peacefully. All Muslim countries should rise to the occassion and I think they ve done it. Now one of these countries should declare war if salman rushdie is not executed or exiled by Britain. Pakistan surely cant do that as Its government is enlightened moderate and I think its politicising this matter.

The long term "freedom of press and literature" lies not in making fun of Muslims around the globe. I am feeling shame for not being able to do like Ghazi Aleemuddin.

On the judgement day I will be shameful infront of my Lord (P.B.U.H).

Rightly said by Rabia Basri, West knows well how to make Ummah (though it doesn't exist in its true essence now a days) annoyed and this is what they are doing.

As far as our behavior for this particular case is concerned, i think we should have an intellectual debate with west for this act instead of getting emotional and exhibiting physical violence.



Regards,

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And the question is WHO will hold this INTELLECTUAL debate? Our president? or his yes-men? And we all know very well what will be the outcome. Nothing! Simply Nothing!

__________________
The Me you have always known, the Me that's a stranger still.

to hell with intellectual debate and this apologizing strategy. There is no understanding between a powerful and an weak. Only the force does the trick.
whats the outcome of intellectual debate on the blaphemous cartoons anyway.

@island

This is what we are wrong with. waiting for the rulers and other authorities to do some good for us has always been our preference. We do know that they won't do such and if we atill wait for them, it's nothing less than being in fools' paradise.

This debate can be started by any of us. we have the resources to do so. Let's take an example of the international forums which are in our access. we can raise our voice there. And yes, the only authority we can have trust on is the private media.



Regards,

__________________
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My Dear
We all know from what our private media is going through. Private media suffers ban and Intellectuals suffer exile.

__________________
The Me you have always known, the Me that's a stranger still.