Rushdie’s writings painful: Imran Khan
January 31, 2012 First Published: January 31, 2012
Last Updated: 2012-05-16 11:32:35
Rushdie’s writings painful: Imran Khan
Describing the writings of Salman Rushdie as “painful” for the Muslim community, Pakistani politician and former cricket captain Imran Khan Monday said no one had a right to humiliate someone’s belief.
“First of all what is painful for a human community only the human community should decide…the issue is not what Rushdie wrote (in his novel ‘The Satanic Verses’). The real issue is that nobody has the right to inflict pain on a society,” Khan said during an interactive session at the Kolkata Book Fair here.
“We should have respect to what is painful to each other and no one should have a right to inflict pain on each other,” he said.
He, however, blamed the Muslim leadership for failing to understand the values of the society and the community.
The Satanic Verses of Rushdie, a British-Indian author, was banned in India and many countries 20 years back after allegation that the novel’s portrayal of Prophet Muhammad insulted Islam.
Rushdie recently cancelled his visit to India for attending a literature festival in Jaipur after the authorities there warned the controversial author that he was a potential target of assassins at the event.
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no pain no gain – some “free speech” pain creates modern democratic and civilised societies unlike misogynist, terror mongering, minority persecuting and dictatorial islamic societies!
oh! is it ?!, IK, then what that hack Islam has done for centuries and still doing to Hindus/India
India baiters like Imran Khan,greg chapell continue to get publicity in India in the name of free comment and still make maoney fron India.I do not think Indian players will get any coumn writing or interviewed by pakistany oe english or australian press.This shows second class mentality of indian press
Oh..really…look who is talking!
I do feel the same.Sh.Salman Rushdie seems to be a crazy and mentally immatured person.
Imran Bhai, actions speak louder than words. Don’t get too excited by a book that hardly any Muslim will understand even if they tried to read it. Of course you do not think that other people’s feelings get hurt when your co religionists kill them in the name of Jihad, destroy their places of worship (Bamian Buddhasarestill fresh memory). In your own country you have been prosecuting Christians. It is amazing that Islam fails to self introspect and keeps on blaming others for its own issues. The whole world is laughing at the likes of you who only continue to make Salma Rushdie and his books more and more popular. Thank you for you your ilk for making Salman Rushdie’s high quality literature repeatedly recognised and well known. I myself have bought all his books after reading your comments about it.
“We should have respect to what is painful to each other and no one should have a right to inflict pain on each other.” What kind of muslim are you? You contradict what your prophet preached – inflict torture and pain on all non-believers!
“We should have respect to what is painful to each other and no one should have a right to inflict pain on each other.” What kind of muslim are you? You contradict the teacings of your prophet – inflict pain and torture on all non-believers!
i appreciate what Mr. Imran Khan is expressed his views. All writer, politician and regilious releader should learn from Mr. Imran. Insha-Allah, you will be a true Muslim, a good leadder and above all a good human being.
Freedom of expression does not mean freedom to ridicule and insult revered persons of any religion or community, especially with imaginative and fiction stories. Satan Rushdie’s book was all about that. Shame on hypocrite people of the West who made him hero due to Islamic phobia. Crusade memories still haunt them.
Imran Khan points out that the issue is “…nobody has the right to inflict pain on a society,” and I say that the point raised by him will gain profound validity and greater acuity only if individuals have the right to express themselves against the mores of a society. The society can then make a decision on the writer’s expression by rejecting it or by accepting it, or by modifying its own beliefs if it so deems. But what most certainly the members of a society or the society itself should not do are to gag or kill both the person and his expression.
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