vimothy
yurp
A fatwa is a religious ruling. An analogy might be if the pope issued a religious edict instructing catholics to murder an author who had wrote a book about abortion, perhaps.
Sir Salman Rushdie
- Thread starter IdleRich
- Start date
A fatwa is a religious ruling. An analogy might be if the pope issued a religious edict instructing catholics to murder an author who had wrote a book about abortion, perhaps.
john eden
male pale and stale
When is the last time an author (or other "creative") was actually put to death as the result of a fatwah?
IdleRich
IdleRich
Yeah, but nobody is saying that Rushdie got a Knighthood (or whatever it's called) for annoying people - he got it for his work (which you may or may not like) despite the fact that it pissed off a load of people. I personally think that that is a good thing because I don't like the idea that people can censor things that they don't like by making a big scary fuss.
bassnation
the abyss
but you can't argue that (non-famous) people who transgress these loonies strongly-held beliefs should be given support and then say, "well, apart from rushdie as he's rich, smug and i dislike him". consistency one way or another, surely?
john eden
male pale and stale
You don't think the Satanic Verses controversy might have cropped up in passing in some of the meetings which were held to discuss the shortlist, then?
vimothy
yurp
When I asked if they were good I meant in regards to being knighted, not in regards to not being persecuted by religious extremists. No one should be persecuted by religious extremists.
Think your last sentence is overstating the case somewhat.
john eden
male pale and stale
I'm merely pointing out the dynamic, not calling for legislation and ting.
I think Rushdie should have received protection, yes.
I don't think anybody should get a knighthood.
That seems pretty consistent to me.
IdleRich
IdleRich
vimothy
yurp
Even if it did, don't you think that being an artist and an intellectual under the threat of death is heoic? More heroic and deserving of honours than say (for e.g.) being Elton John?
bassnation
the abyss
elton john is not that bad. he's always championed very worthwhile causes such as sexual health / education etc, plus challenges homophobia. in fact if it wasn't for the religious nutter angle, i'd say hes much more deserving than rushdie.
vimothy
yurp
Robertson:
He suggested that American agents should assassinate Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez , and said the stroke that left Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in a coma was God's punishment for Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.
In both cases he issued an apology within days.
Not quite the same thing, IMO.
And the fatwa still stands, BTW.
He suggested that American agents should assassinate Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez , and said the stroke that left Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in a coma was God's punishment for Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.
In both cases he issued an apology within days.
Not quite the same thing, IMO.
And the fatwa still stands, BTW.
john eden
male pale and stale
How likely do you think it is that I will become King and get to decide who gets knighted?
john eden
male pale and stale
vimothy
yurp
I'm just wondering if it's such a bad thing that the fatwa might have influenced the government's decision to knight Rushdie.
Mr. Tea
Let's Talk About Ceps
Whether or not anyone's got round to killing him yet is immaterial. It can't be fun to live from day to day in the knowledge that you could be shot or blown to bits at any moment. (Although having said that, I can't imagine Rushdie spends his days cowering under his sofa. He wouldn't fit, for a start.)
It's a bit like defending a habitual drunk driver on the grounds that they haven't run anyone over (yet).
vimothy
yurp
Ok this is only one example but with the internet it's easy to find more:
Naguib Mahfouz, Egyptian novelist, nobel prize winner, defended Rushdie in public. Was sentenced to death by the Ayatollah and stabbed in the throat by Islamic militants in 1994.
EDIT: I was wrong, Mahfouz survived.
However, there's Ahmad Kasravi
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john eden
male pale and stale
It's a question of risk.
People are killed by drunk drivers every day.
On the evidence presented on this thread so far, no author has ever been killed as a result of a fatwah.
Rushdie is more likely to be killed by a drunk driver than by an abstemious jihadist.
Mr. Tea
Let's Talk About Ceps
See above!
Anyway, that's still missing the point - how many authors, or would-be authors, have been intimidated into silence by the mere threat of a fatwa?