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More protests against Rushdie

MULTAN: Hundreds protested in Multan, Islamabad and Lahore on Wednesday to condemn Britain’s award of a knighthood to author Salaman Rushdie.

More than 150 traders gathered in Multan where they burned a British flag in anger at Britain bestowing the award to a “hated” man, the author of a “blasphemous” book, witnesses said.

“It’s a deliberate attempt to provoke Muslims,” said Akhtar Butt, leader of a local traders’ body.

Another rally attended by more than 100 students from madrassas in Multan torched an effigy of Rushdie in protest. “By giving the title of ‘Sir’ to Rushdie, Britain has put the award into disrepute,” said Hidayatullah Pasroori, a local leader of the Jamiat Ulema Pakistan.

The Jamiat Ulema Islam party staged a separate rally in the city against the award. “We condemn the British government for awarding the title to a blasphemer. They have tried to deliberately hurt our feelings,” local party leader Maulana Abdul Rauf said.

“This is an attempt to provoke Muslims all over the world,” Hafiz Hussain Ahmed, an MMA leader, told a rally of about 200 women outside parliament in Islamabad. Several hundred people including members of the provincial parliament protested in Lahore.

Lal Masjid mullah Abdul Rashid Ghazi said Rushdie should be killed. “He is condemned to death. Whosoever is in position to kill him, he should do so,” he said in a statement.

There were also protests in Malaysia. In Afghanistan, the Taliban condemned Britain’s action. “This is a clear enmity with Islam. We ask Britain to take back what they have done and to apologise to Muslims,” said a Taliban statement read to AFP over the telephone by spokesman Yousuf Ahmadi.

The Egyptian parliament also criticised the award, describing it as a worse error than the blasphemous cartoons. agencies

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