John Reid, the British Home Secretary, refused to apologise for knighting the blasphemer Salman Rushdie who, in his ?Satanic Verses? (published in September 1988) insulted the Prophet Muhammad and Islam, and deeply offended Muslims. Muslims all over the world protested, and the publishers Viking/Penguin were asked to withdraw the book without success. The publishers argued ?freedom of speech and expression?. In February 1989, Ayatollah Khomeni?s Iran even issued a ruling (fatwa) for Rushdie?s death.

John Reid said ?We have a tolerance of other people?s point of view and we don?t apologise for that.? [The Metro, 21 June 2007]. John Reid fails to state that ?freedom of speech and expression? is not absolute and that there are limits which must not be transgressed. But he was immediately contradicted by his Cabinet colleague Margaret Beckett who said she was ?sorry? of any offence caused.

Speaking in New York, John Reid also said that Jews were also offended by Mel Gibson?s film ?The Passion of the Christ? but fails to explain any connection between Rushdie?s lies and filth attributed to the Prophet of Islam in his Satanic Verses and the biblical facts shown in Gibson?s Passion of the Christ. Although Rushdie claimed his work was fiction when, in reality he was insulting the Prophet Muhammad, his wives, Angel Gabriel, the Kaaba, and more, Mel Gibson?s film was based on biblical facts. The reason why the Jews protested is because, for the first time, a biblical film has graphically shown that the Jews were the real murderers of Jesus Christ.

The Jews rejected Jesus Christ as the Messiah and always conspired to kill him. [John 5:18, John 7:1, John 7:19, John 8:37-44, John 1: 45-53, Matthew 12: 13-14, Matthew 26:3, Luke 22:2, John 8:57-59, John 10:39, Mark 11:17-18, Mark 14:1,55]. When the Jews cried out over and over to crucify Jesus, and Pilate wanted to release him, all the Jews said, ?Let his blood be on us and on our children!? [Matthew 27:25]. Some Jews also wanted to wash their hands with the blood of Jesus.

Even though the Jews persecuted Christians in the first century, and are prepared to do the same if Christians evangelised them with the true Gospel message, the Qur?an made it clear that those two historical enemies would unite against Muslims and Islam. It is therefore not surprising that Christian Tony Blair has put forward the knighthood of Salman Rushdie upon the advice of the Jewish lobby. Although, just like in the case of declaring war, the ultimate decision constitutionally rests with the British Queen, she is merely a puppet.

On 20th June 2007, Joseph Corre, the co-founder of luxury lingerie brand Agent Provocateur rejected his (Blair?s) MBE because he said Tony Blair was ?morally corrupt?, ?has been involved in organised lying, to the point where thousands of people, including children, have suffered death, detention and torture in Afghanistan and Iraq? [The Metro, 21 June 2007]. Rushdie clearly takes the opposite view, and welcomes the ?honour?.

Salman Rushdie, who was previously sued by Indira Gandhi for libel, has really been knighted in the present context for writing filth against Muslims and Islam. In spite of claims to the contrary, his writings have little literary value, although his book Midnight?s Children was imposed in the national curriculum. He is merely a pawn in the new zionist world order.

M. Rafic SOORMALLY (London, 22 June 2007)