The Weekly Nelson Muntz award goes to ..........

...Mohammed Ijaz ul-Haq, Pakistans Religious Affairs Minister and
Mohammad Ali Hosseini, spokesman for Iran's Foreign Ministry ...

for providing a shining example of tolerance and for their unstinting demonstration of how to maintain a true sense of proportion.

Following hot on the news that the "acclaimed British author" Salman Rushdie is to receive a knighthood for, according to a spokesman for the British Foreign Office, self-explanatory reasons, Mr Ijaz ul-Haq told the Pakistani Parliament in Islamabad that:

"If someone exploded a bomb on his body he would be right to do so unless the British government apologises and withdraws the 'sir' title."

A government-backed resolution condemning the author's knighthood was passed unanimously by the lower house of the Pakistani parliament amid angry protests across the country including the burning of effigies of Salman Rushdie and The Queen!

Pakistan's minister for parliamentary affairs, Sher Afgan Khan Niazi, who proposed the resolution condemning the honour, branded Rushdie a "blasphemer".

She told MPs: "The 'sir' title from Britain for blasphemer Salman Rushdie has hurt the sentiments of the Muslims across the world. Every religion should be respected. I demand the British government immediately withdraw the title as it is creating religious hatred."

Creating religious hatred eh? Hmm.

Meanwhile in Iran, Mohammad Ali Hosseini, a spokesman for Iran's foreign ministry, said the decision to honour the novelist was an orchestrated act of aggression directed against Islamic societies.
He said Rushdie was "one of the most hated figures" in the Islamic world.

"Honouring and commending an apostate and hated figure will definitely put the British officials [in a position] of confrontation with Islamic societies," Mr Hosseini said.

So there you have it, the knighting of the famous British author Salman Rushdie is seen by the Iranians as an orchestrated act of aggression directed against Islamic societies. Fortunately for us, I would suggest, Iran is not yet a nuclear power, and anyway, they have other priorities on their list of countries to settle with.

As for the Pakistan Government, well, at least they seem willing to accept an apology and then we can forget the whole thing. I wonder though, if the British Government fails to apologize, what will the outcome be.

First a Pakistan Government Minister condoning suicide bombing in Britain, what next?

Who knows, Pakistan is a nuclear power and after all you gotta .....................!

HA HA

Update: Apparently Mohammed Ijaz ul-Haq didn't say or indeed mean what has been reported, he merely meant that at a time when suicide bombings are occurring, we should not give the bombers an opportunity to be able to justify their action.

Hmm, not sure that I see any real difference. Don't upset the suicide bombers or they may bomb you. Brilliant policy, do everything the terrorists say and you need not fear the terrorists. Now why didn't we think of that!