Sir Salman was able to return to public life in 1999
Salman Rushdie, who went into hiding under threat of death after an Iranian fatwa, has been knighted by the Queen.
His book The Satanic Verses offended Muslims worldwide and a bounty was placed on his head in 1989.
But since the Indian-born author returned to public life in 1999, he has not shied away from controversy.
A devout secularist, he backed Commons Leader Jack Straw over comments on Muslim women and veils and has warned against Islamic "totalitarianism".
The son of a successful businessman, Sir Salman was born into a Muslim family in Mumbai in 1947.
He was educated in England at Rugby School and studied history at Cambridge University.
Booker prize
Following an advertising career in London, he became a full-time writer. I am thrilled and humbled to receive this great honour
Salman Rushdie
His first novel, Grimus, was published in 1975 but was generally ignored by the book-buying public and literary establishment.
But his second effort - the magic realist novel Midnight's Children - catapulted him to literary fame.
It won the Booker Prize in 1981 and was awarded the Booker of Bookers in 1993 after being judged the best novel to have won the prize during its 25-year history.
Sir Salman, who turns 60 on 19 June, is renowned as a martyr for free speech and purveyor of story as political statement.
Death sentence
He takes history and fictionalises it, with imaginative brilliance, and much of his work is set in his native India and Pakistan.
His fourth book - The Satanic Verses in 1988 - describes a cosmic battle between good and evil and combines fantasy, philosophy and farce.
It was immediately condemned by the Islamic world because of its perceived blasphemous depiction of the prophet Muhammad.
It was banned in many countries with large Muslim communities and in 1989, Ayatollah Khomeini, Iran's spiritual leader, issued a fatwa, ordering Sir Salman's execution. It was not formally lifted until 1998.
picture removed.
Sir Salman and his actress wife Padma Lakshmi
Despite living as a virtual prisoner, with full police protection, Sir Salman continued to write and produced several novels and essays during his confinement.
His re-emergence has not been without controversy.
In backing Jack Straw over his comments on Muslim women wearing veils, Sir Salman said veils "suck" as they were a symbol of the "limitation of women".
He also weighed into the furore surrounding the Danish cartoons, which satirised the Prophet Muhammad, warning against Islamic "totalitarianism".
Of his knighthood for services to literature, Rushdie said: "I am thrilled and humbled to receive this great honour, and am very grateful that my work has been recognised in this way."
"By time, Indeed, mankind is in loss, Except for those who have believed and done righteous deeds and advised each other to truth and advised each other to patience."Quran 103
He looks like that john trovlta in that one movie where he was an alien who took over earth. The apostate is 60yrs old, he'll soon taste hell inshallah
Have u seen his wife she is rather attractive and very young, the qween is doing the devils work, giving nonesense worldly honors to such devils. :blind:
"By time, Indeed, mankind is in loss, Except for those who have believed and done righteous deeds and advised each other to truth and advised each other to patience."Quran 103
All you really need to do to get knighted or honored in anyway is to write something Anti-Islamic... who cares anyhow, this guy is what? 50-60-70-? maybe he'll preserve himself in cryogenics and live and awesomely long life?-- sooner or later we'll all return to the grave.. let him have his glory, he won't be the first or the last heretic we've known!
Text without context is pretext If your opponent is of choleric temperament, seek to irritate him
I'd think you'd have some sympathy for the guy, he spent 10 years in hiding just for something he wrote. They were going to kill him for it. Why is Islam so afraid of criticism?
I'd think you'd have some sympathy for the guy, he spent 10 years in hiding just for something he wrote. They were going to kill him for it. Why is Islam so afraid of criticism?
Agreed. I see his knighthood as a celebration of free speech.
All you really need to do to get knighted or honored in anyway is to write something Anti-Islamic...
Actually, being one of the finest novelists of the the twentieth century rather helps. Perhaps you could enlighten us as to who else you think has been knighted for writing "something Anti-Islamic" that might suggest such a pattern?
Rushdie wrote other books, and that particular one was a Booker Prize finalist. If he had not received such an honour at some stage it would be purely to pander to those who claim to be "offended" by a book they have never read and, in most cases, have no idea what they are claiming to be "offended" by. I'm delighted that that was not done.
Actually, being one of the finest novelists of the the twentieth century rather helps. Perhaps you could enlighten us as to who else you think has been knighted for writing "something Anti-Islamic" that might suggest such a pattern?
Rushdie wrote other books, and that particular one was a Booker Prize finalist. If he had not received such an honour at some stage it would be purely to pander to those who claim to be "offended" by a book they have never read and, in most cases, have no idea what they are claiming to be "offended" by. I'm delighted that that was not done.
Purestambrodia is right, very right. cuz we also have Ismail Kadare, who bloody writes bad stuff about Islam, just to get nominated for nobel prize, and he was nominated , just he didn't get the prize. probably he didn't make enough as rushdie
I read the Midnight's children and i was impressed by the action. I think he has lot of talent in writing and he bring in a very realistical light the way in which India was splited and what have ment this for the indian people.
Congratulation for him.
He didn't criticize.at least as far as I know he didn't.and violent action is to be expected from conservative and religious sensitive people in conservative countries.try running Deepa Mehta's movie in Gujarat or Punjab in a theater.
Islam doesn't prohibit criticism or asking of question(you should see some of the questions i asked in fatwa sites).
we got Bernard Lewis criticizing Islamic practices but not abusing or slandering and he is even respected in the Middle east.
But yes Salman Rushdie is a terrific writer.I haven't read Shalimar the Clown but immensely like the reviews and plan to read it in the future.
I see his knighthood as a celebration of free speech.
thought some Brits were setting standards and limits for free speech.You know,what's acceptable or what isn't it.
thought some Brits were setting standards and limits for free speech.You know,what's acceptable or what isn't it.
I'm not one of those Brits. You can't have partial freedom of expression, it makes no sense. To say "Oh, we must set limits to avoid offending people" is to give way to censorship.
A society that has true freedom of speech suffers from problems such as BNP, or in the US, the crazy Westboro Baptist church. Do I want to silence these people? No. I recognise that, like me, they are free to say as they wish.
If it were up to those people I'd be shipped out to a desert island or executed. But, that's thier problem and not mine. I certainly wouldn't consider "Fatwa" against them, that's just disgusting and it would lower me to thier level.
Rushdie excersized his right to free speech, and he suffered and endured the ultimate price for it. For that, I respect him.
The "Fatwa" issued against him is a shame on your people.
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and he will burn in hell Inshallah.
Sir Salman was able to return to public life in 1999
I am thrilled and humbled to receive this great honour
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