Knighting Salman Rushdie

Britain's knighting of Salman Rushdie has predictably caused great distress in and, sadly, threats of violence from the Islamic world. Perhaps the most serious comes from a minister in the Pakistani government, Ijaz-ul-Haq, who is quoted as telling his country's national assembly, "If someone commits suicide bombing to protect the honour of the Prophet Muhammad, his act is justified." This intolerant gentleman is, as we might expect, the minister for religious affairs.

Yet again we witness the dangerous and violent passions that religion arouses. Maybe Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, et al., are right in confronting organized religion. It may simply not be wise to leave such mischievous institutions unchallenged.