After authoring numerous acclaimed literary works and displaying a distinct penchant for speaking out against human rights abuses, Salman Rushdie has certainly established himself as a fit recipient of knighthood.
Although not the most acclaimed of his works, The Satanic Verses has perhaps brought most of author Salman Rushdie's notoriety. Upon release in September of 1988 it created quite a ruckus over in Iran. Almost immediately, their Ayatollah Khomeini felt it wise to issue a fatwa, or religious mandate, against Rushdie, stating that any good Muslim should actively seek his death.
Though under constant watch by bodyguards for years, the seriousness of the threat has seemingly worn off. The threat of Iran to civilization still looms though, and interestingly enough it was the controversy over Sir Rushdie that catalyzed the severing of official ties between Britain and Iran many years ago.
Since the fatwa, Rushdie has emerged as a sort of Western pop icon, with editorial appearances on both Real Time with Bill Maher and the Colbert Report, and playing himself on-screen in Seinfeld and The Bridgette Jones Diary.
Perhaps Rushdie's most impressive quality is his unwavering insistence that all people should be free. He has spoken out against the Muslim tradition of forcing women to wear Islamic veils, or niqab, repeatedly, and he also publicly opposes The Racial and Religious Hatred Act of 2006 in England.
As a purveyor of individual freedom and human rights, Rushdie has remained relevant through his articulate speech and eloquence. Certainly, his knighthood will only serve to increase his prominence in the forefront of the battle for liberty, and that, in my view, is heartening.
Congratulations Salman, keep up the good work.
Live Free or Die,
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Is this your idea of freedom of speech?
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