Rediscovering our backbones

God save the Queen! I do not like Sir Salman or his writing, but he has had a huge impact upon the literary world because of his daring. One only has to see the price on his head to see understand the impact he has had in the Muslim world! The ever growing price on his head. I still love the Queen and think that this is a great gesture. Amen!

Rediscovering our backbones | The Australian Janet Albrechtsen Blog: "DON’T fall for the sweet old lady in hat and gloves number. The Queen has a crafty Machiavellian streak to her. Turning Salman Rushdie into a sir has been a handy health check on whether the West has learned the costs of appeasement. Her Majesty would have known that bestowing a knighthood on Rushdie would also elevate him to the world’s biggest collector of Islamic death edicts. The question was whether this time the West would do a better job of defending itself. So far the signs are good.

The predictable stuff came sharp and fast. Immediately after Rushdie was given his gong for services to literature, Pakistan, our friendly ally in the war on terror, demanded that Britain withdraw the title. The British blasphemer had hurt the feelings of the Muslims’ world, said various Pakistani MPs.

The West is now well versed in this Muslim drama. First act: enter Muslims claiming hurt feelings. Second act: enter Muslims issuing a death-to-Western-heathens diktat. Cue Pakistan’s Religious Affairs Minister Mohammed Ijaz-ul-Haq: “If someone exploded a bomb on his body he would be right to do so unless the British Government apologises and withdraws the sir title.” Meanwhile, Pakistani students burned effigies of the Queen and Rushdie chanting “kill him, kill him”."