Speaking of Salman Rushdie...

Salman Rushdie just received a knighthood in the Queen's Birthday Honours List, which has sparked the usual accusations of "anti-Islamism of senior British officials" from Iran and other Muslim countries, the usual quote from Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini

"The measure that has taken place for paying tribute to this apostate and detested figure will definitely put British statesmen and officials at odds with Islamic societies, the emotions and sentiments of which have again been provoked."

the usual riots and burning of effigies in Pakistan, and the usual death threats

The Organisation to Commemorate Martyrs of the Muslim World, a fringe hardline group, offered a reward of $150,000 (£75,000) to any successful assassin.

Forouz Rajaefar, the group’s secretary general, said: “The British and the supporters of the anti-Islam Salman Rushdie could rest assured that the writer’s nightmare will not end until the moment of his death and we will bestow kisses on the hands of whomsoever is able to execute this apostate.”

and

Ijaz-ul-Haq, the Religious Affairs Minister [of Pakistan], told the assembly in Islamabad that the award of the knighthood excused suicide bombing. “If somebody has to attack by strapping bombs to his body to protect the honour of the Prophet then it is justified,” he said.

He later retracted his statement, explaining that he had intended to say that knighting Rushdie will foster extremism. “If someone blows himself up, he will consider himself justified. How can we fight terrorism when those who commit blasphemy are rewarded by the West? We demand an apology by the British government. Their action has hurt the sentiments of 1.5 billion Muslims."

I've got a question: What the fuck does Salman Rushdie's knighthood have to do with fighting terrorism?

If honoring a brilliant writer sparks suicide bombings and riots, how are we to coexist with those 1.5 billion and their "hurt sentiments"? Why does their "hurt sentiments" justify murdering a writer?

Why should we be forced to read only what they approve of? Why is their disapproval more important than ours?

And why does religion get this free pass?