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Honourable behaviour or sowing the seeds of discord?
Tuesday June 26, 2007The Guardian

We strongly deplore the recent conferring of a knighthood to Salman Rushdie (Letters, June 21). We see this as a deliberate provocation and insult to the 1.5 billion Muslims around the world. The "honouring" of Rushdie at a time when the British government claims to be trying to build bridges with the Muslim community can only be seen as duplicitous. We regard this as a conscious effort not only to offend Muslim sensibilities but also to sow seeds of division. In honouring Rushdie, the prime minister has demonstrated how little regard he has for Islam.
Ali al-Hadithi Federation Of Student Islamic Societies,
Bashir Mann Muslim Council of Scotland,
Dr Abdul Wahid Hizb ut-Tahrir,
Dr Ahmad ar-Rawi Muslim Association of Britain,
Dr Mamoun Mobayad Northern Ireland Muslim Family Association,
Dr Muhammad Abdul-Bari Muslim Council of Britain,
Massoud Shadjareh Islamic Human Rights Commission,
Maulana Faiz Siddiqui Muslim Action Committee,
Muhammad Sawalha British Muslim Initiative,
Saleem Qidwai Muslim Council of Wales,
Sheikh Abdulhossein Moezi Islamic Centre of England,
Sheikh Shafiq-ur-Rahman United Kingdom Islamic Mission

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MUSLIM ACTION COMMITTEE DEPLORES THE HONORING OF “A DESTROYER OF COMMUNITY COHESION”

The Muslim Action Committee, a faith based coalition of over 700 Mosques and Imams strongly deplore the honoring of Salman Rushdie. The Muslim Action Committee which led 50,000 Muslims in a mass demonstration February 2006 during the Danish Cartoons Crisis, are extremely disappointed in a government which has failed to uphold the principles of civility by honoring an author whose works have only contributed to division in British society. Rushdie has maliciously promoted stereotypes and has abused the name of the Prophet of Islam, peace be upon him.

MAC convenor Shaykh Faiz-ul-Aqtab Siddiqi said “To honor a man who continues to insult 1.25 billion Muslims worldwide with the continued publication of his vile book is to send a message to Muslims that their religious sensitivities are of no value or consequence. This does nothing to promote community cohesion and does everything to promote community tensions and resentment. Rushdie is an ill mannered character who lacks all the virtues traditionally associated with knighthood and it is a travesty of British values to honor him in this manner.

It is not the intrinsic nature of the honor which is the question here but rather it is deeply symbolic of antipathy and arrogance towards the Muslim world. At a time when the British government is attempting to promote the values of Britishness and integration, they are undermining their position by giving this title to a malicious individual who profits off the pain and insult given to Muslim sensibilities. This move will only fan the flames of radicalization and help to further alienate those on the fringes of our community.”

MAC calls upon the British government to:
Engage in responsible dialogue with the Muslim community before making such unhelpful decisions;
To withdraw the knighthood to Salman Rushdie;

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For further information contact MAC on 07947218529