Iran: Sir Salman's an Insult

Jun 18, 04:28 PM

Current Headlines: By MARK ELLIS

IRAN yesterday said Britain had insulted it by giving Salman Rushdie a knighthood.

The Foreign Ministry said: "Giving a badge to one of the most hated figures in Islamic society is... an obvious example of fighting against Islam by high-ranking British officials."

Iran issued a fatwa death warrant against Rushdie in 1989 for writing The Satanic Verses claiming it was anti-Islamic. He went into hiding for nine years.

Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini said the Queen's birthday honour for Rushdie was confrontational. He added:

"This act shows that insulting Islamic sacred (values) is not accidental. It is planned, organised, guided and supported by some Western countries."

On Thursday, protesters pelted the British embassy in Tehran with stones and eggs.

The Iranian government formally distanced itself from the fatwa in 1998 but clerics have said it cannot be overturned.

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