Sir Salman Rushdi.

British officials defended their decision Wednesday to award a knighthood to author Salman Rushdie as outrage continued to sweep parts of the Muslim world. Iraq's foreign minister described Britain's choice as "untimely."

Rushdie, born to Muslim parents in India, was awarded the knighthood last week for services to literature — prompting diplomatic protests from Pakistan and Iran and triggering angry demonstrations on Wednesday in Pakistan and Malaysia. Many Muslims believe that Rushdie's novel The Satanic Verses, published in 1988, was blasphemous against the prophet Mohammed and ridiculed the Quran.

"We have a right to express opinions and a tolerance of other people's point of view, and we don't apologize for that," British Home Secretary John Reid told a group of U.S. business leaders in New York.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said during a visit to London that he respected the right of Britain to decide who received the honor, but that the decision could cause trouble. "Iraq is a Muslim country," Zebari said. "We believe that, with all due respect to the knighthood, I think it was untimely."
source