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Rushdie receives knighthood
LONDON (AFP) - Queen Elizabeth II on Wednesday gave the British author Salman Rushdie a knighthood which caused protests by Muslims around the world when it was announced last year.
Rushdie, 61, was knighted for his services to literature.
When the knighthood was announced in the queen's birthday honours list last June, it sparked condemnation from a number of Muslim countries and organisations.
A Pakistani government minister at one point suggested the award justified suicide bombings.
And Al-Qaeda's second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahiri warned that the terror network was preparing a "precise response" to Britain's decision to transform Rushdie into "Sir Salman".
In the subsequent furore, British government ministers stressed that they were sorry if people had been upset by the honour, but stressed it was for a lifelong body of work and would not apologise for the award.
"I am thrilled and humbled to receive this great honour and am very grateful that my work has been recognised in this way," Rushdie said after the announcement last year.
The Indian-born writer, who was raised as a Sunni Muslim, has lived since 1989 under the shadow of an Iranian fatwa -- or religious decree -- calling for his death over his controversial novel "The Satanic Verses".
The author is accused by some Muslims of blaspheming Islam in the novel, which triggered an international furore when it was first published in 1988.
Rushdie was forced into hiding after Iran's revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued the fatwa calling for his death, claiming his book insulted Islam.
Rushdie was granted a 24-hour police guard but still had to move house repeatedly and could not even tell his children where he lived.
After nearly a decade hiding away, Rushdie began to appear in public more and more, eventually becoming a socialite fixture on the international party circuit.
Following the announcement of Rushdie's knighthood last year, Iran said the death sentence still stands.
"The stance of the Islamic Republic of Iran with regard to this issue has not changed from what was put forward by the Imam Khomeini," foreign ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini said.
Rushdie's second novel, "Midnight's Children", won the prestigious Booker Prize in 1981 and was named the best novel in 25 years of the prize in 1993. He is also a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. LONDON (AFP) - Queen Elizabeth II on Wednesday gave the British author Salman Rushdie a knighthood which caused protests by Muslims ar... more -
Islam & America: through the eyes of Imran Khan
Ex-cricketer & Politician explores; why do so many Muslims hate the United States? What has America done to alienate so many people in the Muslim world? Ex-cricketer & Politician explores; why do so many Muslims hate the United States? What has America done to alienate so many peopl... more
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Supreme Court to decide on a lawsuit against John Ashcroft
Four days after handing the Bush administration a major setback in its approach to the war on terror, the US Supreme Court has set the stage for another showdown over controversial antiterror policies.
On Monday, the nation's highest court agreed to decide how much evidence is needed to sustain a lawsuit seeking to hold former Attorney General John Ashcroft and current FBI Director Robert Mueller personally responsible for harsh antiterror policies that allegedly led to abuses of detainees in US prisons.
The issue arises in a suit filed by a Pakistani Muslim held for seven months in solitary confinement in a Brooklyn prison after being wrongly suspected of involvement in terrorism after 9/11. Javaid Iqbal was deported to Pakistan after the FBI determined he was not a terrorist.
Government lawyers asked that the suit be thrown out. But a federal judge and the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in New York have allowed the case to move forward. Four days after handing the Bush administration a major setback in its approach to the war on terror, the US Supreme Court has set the... more -
Myanmar praises Muslim Aid efforts
The country which is reluctant in accepting foreign aid has praised Muslim aid for its relief in the cyclon-hit country. Myanmar Ambassador U Tin Oo thanked Pakistan and its people for their help.
Wahidi briefed the ambassador on relief activities of Muslim Aid. He said 250 families had been provided food by his organisation and they were imparting training to people for water purification.
Earlier this week Islam channel (sky ch 813) appealed for money to help relif efforts in Myanmar, using presenters such as Yusuf Chambers who regularly appears on the Islamic channel Peace Tv (sky ch 823). The country which is reluctant in accepting foreign aid has praised Muslim aid for its relief in the cyclon-hit country. Myanmar Ambas... more -
Pak-American women honoured with ‘Woman of the Year Award’
On May 11: California Congresswoman Grace Napolitano on Saturday honoured Zubeida Khan, a Pakistani-American community activist, with the ‘Woman of the Year Award’ for the 38th Congressional District for her contributions as a board member of the Beverly Hospital Foundation Board of Trustees.
Ms Khan is also chairwoman of a leading American Muslim civil rights group, the Muslim Public Affairs Council Foundation.
“Volunteerism allows us to make the world a little better than we found it,” Ms Khan said as she accepted the award.
“It allows me to practise a central pillar of my faith as a Muslim and set a positive example for my children.”
Ms Khan also serves on the board of the Islamic Studies Council at the Claremont Graduate University School of Religion.
The council embarked upon the ambitious project of instituting the first Masters programme in Islamic Studies in the US, which came to fruition in 2005.
She served as the treasurer of the Pakistan Arts Council of the Pacific Asia Museum for over six years.
Taken from dawn.com On May 11: California Congresswoman Grace Napolitano on Saturday honoured Zubeida Khan, a Pakistani-American community activist, with ... more -
Pakistanis in Spain
VC2 Producer Grace Jackson takes an inside look at Pakistan's recent mass imigration to Barcelona, Spain...focusing on the communities, connections and underground work opportunities for recent immigrants to Spain. VC2 Producer Grace Jackson takes an inside look at Pakistan's recent mass imigration to Barcelona, Spain...focusing on the commun... more
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