BBC News reported on Friday that Salman Rushdie, author of The Satanic Verses, has been knighted by Queen Elizabeth. His name appeared on the Honours List , which cited him for his services to literature. His book aroused great controversy in the Muslim world. He went into hiding in 1989 after after an Iranian fatwa, accompanied by a bounty on his head, put him under threat of death. In 1998, the Iranian government said it would no longer support the fatwa, and Rushdie emerged from hiding. However some Muslim groups consider the fatwa still in force. In a press conference today, according to the AP, Iran Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini criticized the Queen's move, saying: "Awarding a person who is among the most detested characters in the Islamic society is obvious proof of anti-Islamism by ranking British officials."
UPDATE: The AP reported on Monday that Pakistan's parliament passed a resolution demanding Britain withdraw the knighthood awarded to Rushdie, while in the Pakistani city of Multan, students burned the Queen and Rushdie in effigy, and chanted "Kill Him! Kill Him!"
