Imran Khan calls Salman Rushdie a ‘self-hating’ Muslim
“I always hated his writing. He always sees the ugly side of things. He is… a ‘self-hating’ Muslim,” Khan stated in his interview.
Commenting on the names he has been called by Rushdie and other critics, Khan said, “I am called an Islamic fundamentalist by Rushdie. My critics in Pakistan say I am a Zionist agent. I must be doing something right.”
During the interview, Khan also stressed upon the fact that the Muslims have different ways of looking at religion than the West, and that the West needs to understand this.
ISI Links?
When asked about his party’s alleged links to the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency and the extremists, Khan said, “It is these Westoxified Pakistanis who call me ‘Taliban Khan’… But how can they compare me with these uneducated boys of the Taliban or connect me to mullahs? If you read my book, you will find that the Islam I relate to is Sufi Islam. Our policy is to talk to all political players.
“These so-called extremists in Pakistan should be brought into the mainstream; if you marginalise them, you radicalise them.”
Criticising Hudood Ordinance
According to the interviewer, there was a “small explosion of anger” when Khan was asked about his stance on women’s rights as he refused to support the Hudood Ordinance. Khan said he would repeal the Hudood law altogether if he is elected.
When Khan was told that many liberal-minded people in Pakistan are worried about his positions, Khan exclaimed: “Morons!"
“First you have to guarantee basic social and economic rights before you get to gender rights! What is the point of these NGO workers showing up in conservative tribal areas wearing blue jeans?!”
COMMENTS (71)
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@BruteForce: OMG ! I thought you were someone unemployed with nothing better to do other then write comments in ET for every news item that allowed comments. However, I agree with you (and reluctantly admire you) for your post.
@Ahad: Not Insha Allah my brother Shia Muslim, but Allah help us.
After the way we are so proud to break the arms of a mentally retarded 11 year old christian girl and baying for her blood, I too am a self hating muslim. I have never hated myself so much in my life.
Rushdie does not measure up to the glorious standards of Pakistani English
IK gave reasons for cancelling his participation at a conference in New Delhi which Salman Rushdie was attending.
What he did , Great,as a Pakistani Citizen and Leader, the best way to just show people, that still Pakistanies have courage to face anit Pakistani and Anti Muslim world.
I feel sorry to read some Pakistanies people comments above.
Lo! It seems the Great Khan can not even distinguish between a 'True Mslim' and a nonMuslim. Supporters of Khan, Beware.
It took a real man to put the talentless hack fool Salman Rushdie in his place...
That real man was Imam Khumayni, who stood up and also exercised HIS "freedom of speech" by giving his "opinion" that Salman Rushdie needs to be sent to Hell by anyone who comes into contact with him.
Paki politicians aren't fit to shine Khumayni's shoes.
Rushdie has abandoned Islam and does not claim to be a Muslim!
Imran is a short sighted, pseudo-intellect and opportunist politician. He is no match for the genius of Salman Rushdie. Many thanks Dr Kadar Khan FRCS
@SharifL: You are wrong. Women are NOT a major part of Islamic societies; they are only a major part of the population.
What a joke this forum has become. You cannot compare Imran Khan, a man of average mental faculties to a brilliant mind like Salman Rushdie. Salman Rushdie churns out characters like Imran Khan in his fictional writing every couple of years.
Rushdie is a Muslim?
Falcon & antanu g, Who appointed you the supreme judge of the quality of literature in the free world? Rushdie's Midnight's Children was recently declared the BOOKER OF BOOKERS. If that does not seal the case, what does?
@ antanu g
rushdie was and is a mediocre writer if not poor like tasleema nasreen….however he got such fame and name because of reactions from muslim society
Rushdie won a booker prize even before he was given a Fatwa- or Muslims knew he existed.
IK feels the pain of Muslims, we neead a leader like him and we firmly beleive that he is the leader who can make our country free of corruption, biasness.
@BruteForce: You entertain too much love and awe of Salman Rushdie. I have gotten a chance to read some of his writings too. He might be good but not that brilliant as you are making it out to be. For your all best seller credentials for Rushdie, IK has one giant cancer hospital for poor people to his credit. The day Rushdie even comes close in being as good as IK in serving humanity, people will consider giving him an ear.
Salamn Rushdie is not even eligible to be called a Muslim
Lol Rushdie's a writer??, hah I could find you more than a dozen better writers here at the University of Sydney then this joker. He received fame only because he attacked his religion of birth, not because he had extra ordinary talent!.
Cheap point scoring by 'Appeal the Jahil' comments.
IK is portraying as Islamic fundamentalist now that he want an elected seat, least we forget what past. Are we so forgetful?
Are we do ignorant to not see through this guts cheap games? He party has not put forward a single meaningful policy implementation plan. To eradicate corruption in 90 days, alright but how?
Wake up people!! Stop supporting liars willy nilly!
IK when will you grow up? Rushdie is not a Muslim. Period.
Actually being liberal implies " Self hating" . An american said so, since goras have more credilibity for you Pak people!
@BruteForce: I agree with you. I have heard IK speak in Western countries where he tries to sell himself as a "pro-Western" politician (in New York, he was merely giving advice to, not criticizing, the U.S. administration and its policies on Afpak). As for not going to India to face Rushdie, BrutForce has touched a sensitive nerve in IK who does indeed fear Rushdie's wit and charm which can be overpowering for the audiences, and would make IK look small before the audiences; indeed, IK looks more like a confused unprincipled man who wants to become a leader by hook or crook -- by offering "something for everyone" of the electorate. If he is ever elected, Pakistan will not only witness a turbulent time but also face fragmentation. As for Pakistanis who support him with comments in this forum, it is a sad reflection on Pakistani society that they can easily be taken for a ride by a speech. The test lies in critically assessing what a poliitician is saying, not blindly following and support him. Unlike in neighbouring India, where most politicians are viewed very criticially, Pakistanis have lost their perceptive powers and are the most confused people on earth, thanks to the brainwashing by the politicians, the military and the mullahs. We need more nation builders such as engineers, doctors, scientists (not thieves stealing secrets from Dutch labs, as one - now infamous - self-professing scientist did), entrepreneurs/industrialists and the like -- definitely not madrassah graduates. I am beginning to realize that the power of madrassah will grow even more should Imran Khan, someday, become the PM.
I agree with IK's statement "First you have to guarantee basic social and economic rights before you get to gender rights". If you think women dont have rights in our society, you are wrong, we elected woman as our PM 2 decades back. In my view, in our society weak and poor dont have rights and since women are weaker than men therefore they are more deprived.
@BruteForce: Rushdie loves everything except Islam and Muslims. He is a loyal servant of the Hate Islam Lobby. The quality of one's writing does not make someone a better human being -- certainly Rushdie qualifies as a wretched hate-monger.
"Salman Rushdie" is an introspecting Muslim!!
What the world thinks, Rushdie says. So we are not all self hating Muslims. Heck, some of us are not even Muslims and don't need Taliban khan chastising us.
I am sorry but from what I've read he is a pretty mediocre writer. Why my some Indian friends love him is of course because ask him any question about Pakistan he will go hysterical in his narrow-minded bias. And why of course some non-Muslims would like him is because he is what Imran Khan called him, a self-hating Muslim!
Taliban apologists and the ones who condemn the killing of world renowned terrorists by drone attacks while displaying a complete silence on killings of millions of muslims and non muslims by the hands of those who use Islam as a front cover of their violent political ideology are the real 'self hating' muslims.
These 'self hating' muslims are also apparently causing the innocent muslims to collect hatred from whole world in lieu of actions of proponents of political islam championed by Hasan Albanna, Maududi, Syed Qutub and likes of those who tow their line like Imran Khan and Tariq Ali.
What is the point of these NGO workers showing up in conservative tribal areas wearing blue jeans?!” true absolutely true.double standards.see how our female tv anchors are dressed these days!!!!!!
Salman Rushdi might or might not be a lot of things but one thing he is not for sure and that's a threat to us in Pakistan. His purportad 'self-hatred' does not bother me in the least what bugs me to my core is the fear of Imran's attempt at teaching me what he perceives the 'Truth' to be and deciding for me the 'right way' to live my life-----this is something we must seriously consider and be warned of before throwing our vote and helping him create that trap for us.
If Imran Khan joins hands of Sheikh Rasheed , Qazi and illetrate Mullahs...who does not know the true interpretation of Islam except dreaming of Power/ money in the name of Shariah......mislead people from modern developments.....Then Rushdie is in better place to blame all hypocrites.....Today Pakistan is suffering due to HYPOCRITes like Shaeik Rashid who accepts "Mulla Omar" as Amir ul Momineen....WHAT THE HELL THESE GUYS PLAN TO DRIVE NATION>>>>>
GOD ALREADY WROTE IN QURAN....."Their minds, eyes, ears are sealed"...One cannot give them rational choices.....In fact the prefer to brush their teeth with shoots once in a week and spout bad out of mouth....CRAZIES....
@kaalchakra: "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."
So, no love lost between these two extreme specimen of Muslim men!
IK...why u went to the Difaa Pakistan Council jalsa???? u know very well they are all mullahs and jihadis and most of them are hated by pakistanis???? why u went to JI...who is also one of the major cause of political troubles of pakistan????????? WHY?????????????????
A finely balanced, capable leader with nuanced understanding of complex social issues - Imran Khan is the Great Quaid sent to lead the masses again. Hopefully the nation will rise up to follow his lead as before.
Mr.Khan ... Sir Rushdie has already been a Christian ....He is not a follower of Islam now..so don't score points by these words ...Who cares if you don't like his books , whole world likes his writing..
Salman Rushdie is even not a Muslim..
@BruteForce:
Please. I have read him and he is a mediocre writer. Always self-important, often incomprehensible and usually boring.
Great Statement by IK. I am his fan big time
IK was against American drone strikes ,but American aid...?
IK was always against Salman Rushdie because IK was a Pakistani political leader.
Imran Zindabad
Well said. What I like about him in general and which is unfortunately lacking in contemporary intellectual debate of Pakistan is the sequencing of reforms. Everything needs to be done but priority matters in real life since we have limited resources, limited time, and complex web of dependencies.
Of all the things talked about in the article, Tribune could find this phrase to be the most title-worthy? Seriously?
Stop acting like lackeys of the Western mainstream media and start thinking independently
IK's opinion on the ignoble Rushdie is of the least importance to us - his opinions on security, education and the economy matter the most to us
If anyone has read Salman Rushdie you will know his love for all things wonderful and his keen observatory skills. This guy is smart, super smart. A genius even. That guy has won a booker prize for God sakes!
Not only that, his book "The Midnight's Children" was selected by the Booker committee to be the best book to have won a Booker Prize.
Imran Khan didn't come to India to face Salman Rushdie face to face for 2 things 1) He would anger the Islamist forces in Pakistan(A shame really). 2) The most important point being that he will not be able to face the Rushdie wit.
Rushdie married and later divorced 3 women despite not having the looks of Imran Khan, he has a magical tongue, that is for sure.
For those who hate Rushdie because he has blasphemed, let me tell you he has not. I've read Satanic Verses. If someone can quote me a passage where he does Blaspheme, I'll be grateful. Until that happens I'll hold my position.
He does attack the root of Islam though, just like Dan Brown did. The only difference is the Christian world did not try to kill Dan Brown. Ask yourself why such differences in approach?
well well well i don't want to discuss what the savior of land of pure has to say its not our issue but i saw a documentary on salman rusdee on youtube after the book he wrote and the event followed after that and he apologize cause his life became mess after the fatwa from IRAN and IRAN also took back FATWA i still wonder that this 18billion land of extra ordinary over genius savior of Islam could ever learn to forgive
Somebody needs a few lessons on truth. Salamn is not a Muslim. calling him as Muslim as Rushdi has obviously decided to part from this faith long time ago. Salman's book Midnight Children is one of the best book I have read about the partition of the subcontinent. Another book of essays 'Imaginary Homelands' was another master piece which we should all read. It tells you how people feel going to a different society. Lost in what you believed back home and now in the new environment. Then he calls his liberal critics as morons. I wish I could return that compliment, but as a liberal I would find that below the belt. then he says: "First you have to guarantee basic social and economic rights before you get to gender rights! What is the point of these NGO workers showing up in conservative tribal areas wearing blue jeans?!” There are two points I would like to make. 1. Changing basic social and economic rights can take decades if not centuries. Should unprivileged wait that long? 2. If NGO walks around in jeans that is their basic right. It also tells women locked up in dark homes what freedom can do to them. I like IK when he talks about eradication of corruption, but would not encourage others to vote for him because of his right wing fundamentalist approach towards women, who form a major part of our society.
But you opposed the Women's Protection Bill on lame arguments.
Now this is called a leader who knows how to answer and make a statement... INSHALLAH nxt PM
Please I K do not try to score points Salman Rushdie never claimed to be a MuslimSalman Rushdee picked fight him.. he just responded back.. I dont see more in this argument but personal remarks.. i dont want to go into discussion I want to refrain my self from commenting on Rushdee.. Needless to say why
Imran Khan Kadam Barhao Hum Tumharai Saath Hain !! It's time for Sharif Brothers to make a DeaL & goto Jeddah :D