Somebody Check The Calendar

Yes I know it says June 2007 if you are following most 'westernised' calendars but some religions have their own way of determining the date. In the case of some religions it is stuck somewhere in the middle ages. There comes a point when any feelings of tolerance, olive branch holding and natural left wing tendencies of goodwill seem to vanish like water down a plug.

You can argue to till the cows come home about the rights and wrongs of the honours system in this country but for a consistent body of work, that is not only loved by media types but also sells in reasonable numbers, you would have to say that Salman Rushdie probably deserves recognition - I don't believe for a minute that he has been awarded his knighthood for services to terrorism or flag sales.

Since the 7/7 bombings there has been a heightened state of national consciousness regarding all Muslims as potential suicide bombers and Islam as a religion of the terror, that has bordered on the fanaticism that the religion itself stands accused of. There are some things which even those of us stuck out on the far left reaches of political beliefs find staggering and the sight of extremists in Pakistan burning an effigy of the Queen because of the writers knighthood seem, well bizarre, medieval, backward to be honest. Far from promoting itself as a religion of peace these pictures will confirm all those beliefs that like all religions Islam is the cover for extremists whose behaviour is quite frankly an insult.

Islamic hardliners in Pakistan burned an effigy of Queen Elizabeth as senators Tuesday joined mounting calls for London to withdraw Salman Rushdie's knighthood. The senate approved a unanimous resolution demanding London axe the honour bestowed Saturday to the controversial author of the "blasphemous" book "The Satanic Verses."

It came a day after Religious Affairs Minister Ijaz-ul-Haq said the award for Rushdie justified suicide attacks, although he later withdrew the remarks, saying he meant it could increase terrorism.

Governments are entitled to make protests, they can complain about the internal affairs of another country if they believe there are human rights issues at stake but to demand the withdrawal of an honour to a writer seems one protest too far.

Given the way that human nature works in regards to the 'bush telegraph' those few people who have read the book in Pakistan have probably exaggerated their outrage at the book tenfold and like any story it becomes more exaggerated with each retelling.

There are people in the west who are genuinely concerned about the threat of more bombs in the U.K due to Britain's arse kissing relationship with the United States, a country who couldn't give a shit about foreign policy if it didn't involve Israel or the supporting of right-wing groups in South America prior to 9/11, and this won't help allay their fears.