Thursday, June 21, 2007

Honour lists

Equal merit, equal honour.

A group of clerics, the Pakistan Ulema Council, has given bin Laden the title "Saifullah", or sword of Allah, in response to the honour for Rushdie, the council's chairman said on Thursday.

"If a blasphemer can be given the title 'Sir' by the West despite the fact he's hurt the feelings of Muslims, then a mujahid who has been fighting for Islam against the Russians, Americans and British must be given the lofty title of Islam, Saifullah," the chairman, Tahir Ashrafi, told Reuters.

It is interesting that they consider that bin Laden is fighting for Islam rather than for a perversion of a peaceful creed. A man who instigates the murder of thousands is on the same level as one who writes novels.

Ijaz-ul Haq, the man who declared, and then retracted, that Muslims were justified in murdering Rushdie, has been invited to Britain. You'll never guess why.

"Yes, I may travel to Britain next month as a British delegation has invited me to guide them on how to engage khateebs and imams (sermon deliverers and prayer leaders) in a constructive dialogue," Haq told AFP.

However, there may have been a communication mix-up there because another source has the guidance going the other way.

Haq told reporters he had been invited to visit Britain to help develop clerics' communication skills but he would only go if Britain apologised for Rushdie's knighthood.

Haq's co-nationals are also doing their bit for inter-faith dialogue.

Pakistani traders on Thursday announced a reward of 10-million rupees [£82,710] for anyone who beheads Salman Rushdie following Britain's decision to award the novelist a knighthood.

John Reid put it well.

I think we have a set of values that accrues people honours for their contribution to literature even when they don't agree with our point of view. That's our way and that's what we stand by.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good one, of course the very peaceful 'Muslims' are justified for destroying the whole world over this. What? The Queen can't knight someone she likes? She can't knight someone that other people don't like?

But I'm sure Sir Rushdie has mixed emotions on this; the Queen has put him in much greater danger. Maybe he'll wish he had turned it down.

At least this incident will lose the terrorists at least a few more of their dhimmidiot appeasers.

Islam in it's extreme is more political ideology than religion. In that way, it is only a 'Religion of Peace' in that when Islam rules the planet, there will be no one to be at war with. Where they are given an inch, they demand a mile. Islamic countries are becoming more extreme, extremists rule, they just keep quoting the Koran to justify their Jihad.


absurd thought -
God of the Universe says
appease religious killers

continue to spoil them
violent tantrums pay off
.

NoolaBeulah said...

Yeah, it's like dealing with armed adolescents. Maybe that's what makes it so difficult for people used to negotiation and reasonable compromise to deal with. It requires that you treat them, not as adults but as insecure teenagers always demanding 'respect'.