Abdul Bari and Lord Ahmed don't seem to think it's important to try to defuse the growing controversy and affirm the importance of the freedom of conscience, for which Rushdie has, for better or worse, become a symbol.
"Blair 'contemptuous' giving Rushdie honour, say UK Muslims," from IRNA (thanks to Twostellas):
Prime Minister Tony Blair was accused Tuesday of rekindling the 18-year old controversy over Salman Rushdie by his government's decision to give the notorious author a knighthood."Many will interpret the knighthood as a final contemptuous parting gift from Tony Blair to the Muslim world," said secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain, Abdul Bari.
Bari said that the Indian-born author earned "notoriety among Muslims for the highly insulting and blasphemous manner in which he portrayed early Islamic figures much-loved and honoured by them." "The insensitive decision to grant Rushdie a knighthood can therefore only do harm to the image of our country in the eyes of hundreds of millions of Muslims across the world," he warned.
His criticism came as Pakistan's parliament joined in the international condemnation by calling on the British government to reverse the decision or face further protests from Muslim nations.
Labour peer Lord Ahmed described Blair's decision to approve the honor just before his steps down from power next week as double standards.
"It's hypocrisy by Tony Blair who two weeks ago was talking about building bridges to mainstream Muslims, and then he's honouring a man who has insulted the British public and been divisive in community relations," Ahmed said.
Greetings:
A couple more "hookah smoking rabbits."
Empty cans make the most noise.
The Rushdie knighthood is surprising not because his writings offend Muslims, but because "The Satanic Verses" specifically and very scurrilously insulted Maggie Thatcher. I don't think he's ever retracted those insults, even in view of the fact that she was ultimately responsible for assigning him comprehensive police protection without charge afterward. I enjoy Rushdie's writing, but I'm more than a little surprised that the British government finds it appropriate so to honor the man.
I'd be willing to bet that very few Muslims know WHY they hate Rushie other than the fact they are told to.
I bet they don't even know what the insult actually was yet they want to KILL him. But as we know of Islam Proof is not a pre requisite to murdering people for their Religions real and invented insults.
Freedom of speech and religion are figments of our imaginations, no? The only freedoms I can see in Islam are to pay tithes, pray five times a day, and obey...shar'ia, Muhammad, or whatever.
The insult was to refer to the "satanic" verses in the Qu'ran. That is haram if the kaffirs learn of it...and we most certainly wouldn't want that to happen, now would we?
Spinoneone
News from the stop the SANITY front:
PBS' banned, "Islam vs Islamists" filmmakers, Martyn Burke, Frank Gaffney, and Dr. Zuhdi Jasser, held a private screening in L.A. at the end of last week.
In this hidden video, they discuss the unholy alliance among Islamist PR and the left to squelch American Moslems' protests of incitement to militancy against North America permeating our mosques.
Watch the video(s) here on DemoCast.TV
www.blessingbank.org/bloggerpage.html
11b40; "the squeeky wheel gets the grease"
Well, one of Rushdie's primary sins was to imply that the Prophet Muhammad was somewhat lacking in a sense of humor. Naturally Muslims have been trying to kill him ever since, as this reflects on them as well, and any man who says you have no sense of humor naturally deserves to be killed.
Karl, this current British government would have absolutely no qualms about gratuitously insulting Margaret Thatcher! Though I doubt that is the reason for granting Rushdie this knighthood.
The right response of the UK is to Propose Rushdie as a Lord. Or call him God. Or suggest his novels should replace the Quran.
Ahmed said:
“"It's hypocrisy by Tony Blair who two weeks ago was talking about building bridges to mainstream Muslims, and then he's honouring a man who has insulted the British public and been divisive in community relations."
Insulted the British public? Why on earth does this Ahmed think he can speak for the British public? The British public has spoken by buying Rushdie’s books, despite all the efforts of Ahmed’s co-religionists to have them banned. As they say, “Speak for yerself, mate”.
But its all right for pakistan to bestow not one but two of its highest national awards to one Dr A Q Khan - the biggest and most dangerous nuclear proliferator in the world.
Compared to him, Rushdie is a mere popinjay!
"Lord" Ahmed!? That's beyond absurd.
Rushdie is still an unreliable and unregenerate muslim who supports the "palestineans" and Kashmiri muslims.
His writings are drivel and he's cost us treasure in protection support.
What's to like ?
dgene
Not to mention that in the past, he's equated Thatcher's Britain to the Third Reich. Former Tory party chairman Norman Tebbit once wrote a good article lamenting Britain's decision to host him, instead of expelling him back to India.
I can't honestly say that if the Fatwa crowd gets him, that it'll really be a loss to the anti-Jihad movement, for reasons including the ones you've cited above.
Some of the zombies protesting can't even read and don't know where Great Britain is, they were just told by their Imam (who probably can't read) to go protest so there they are. The West got in wrong during the last Rushdie affair by failing to stand up for freedom speech and against Islamic fascists. Lets see if the West can get it right this time.
...I would wager very few Muslims have ever read Rushdies book....
YO YO YO wasup Ahmed and ALI G in da HOUSE! RASPECK!!!
"It's hypocrisy by Tony Blair who two weeks ago was talking about building bridges to mainstream Muslims, and then he's honouring a man who has insulted the British public and been divisive in community relations," Ahmed said.
Lord Ahmed is it?
I wonder if this "lord" can give us one example of how the "British Public" has been "insulted" by Salman Rushdie being knighted. I for one would have been more insulted by the fact that you are now titled when in fact you should have been indicted along with the other dogs for hte London bombings...In any event I await your response MI LUD!!! LOL.
Secondly, Lord Ahmed, since you are in a position to expound so forthrighly I will give you hte benefit fo the doubt and say that have read the "satanic verses". I STIll DOUBT IT!! However, can you perhaps enlighten us as to what exatly you and you co-religionists are taking offence to? After all, was it not your esteeemed peodiphile prophet who admitted the statanic verses...to convince his followers that his talk of peace etc was actually the devil influencing him. AGAIN I await your response MI LUD!!!! LOL
We can however, MI LUD, agree on one thing Tony Blair is an IDIOT of the highest order along with George Bush...simply because the two of them were so interested in making sure that MA and PA ABDUL in Iraq were not offended that they lost sight of the big picture. Now everything in Iraq is fucked...it is good candidate for failed state status...and the entire middle east has lost a bulwark against the spread of Shite Islamism which by the way Jimmy Carter helped foster and create when he allowed Khomeini to overthrow the Shah in 1979.
Now other than that MI LUD...you and your religion can bugger off...who gives a shit if some of your Paki family are upset, unwittingly you and your stupid co-religionists have made Salman wealthy...now is the time to show your true mettle and SHUT THE FUCK UP and take it on the chin...CHEERIO and ALL THAT BULOCKS!!!
Shunkleash
p.s. I actually read the "verses" and found it completely boring and a waste of time.
"I'd be willing to bet that very few Muslims know WHY they hate Rushie other than the fact they are told to."
Maybe. I recall from book reviews (I have not read the book, just the reviews) back in the late 80s that the charge of blasphemy was based on a number of factors. One was that the author (in a dream vision) transformed the prophet's wives into prostitutes (they appeared in a brothel.) Then there was the allegation that one of the characters who suffered from mental illness (paranoid schizophrenia) was also portrayed as the Archangel Gabriel. (this premise, in itself, I find hilarious -- thus, it's not the prophet who's deranged, it's the Archangel Gabriel who's bonkers...the messenger to the messenger is the one who's the paranoid schizophrenic...how richly ironic...reminds me of Nabokov...and the naive and gullible Mo laps it up...also the Archangel manages to drown an entire community by convincing them they can walk on water...they walk into the Arabian Sea, on a "pilgrimage" to Mecca.) Anyhow, then there's the central "dream vision" business with the Satanic Verses (this is from a story related by one of the early biographers of Mo -- Ibn Ishaq -- Robert Spencer discusses this in his text -- basically, the story suggests that Mo included verses that were favorable to polytheists (to get the polytheists to convert to Islam), then the "prophet" recanted, and the verses were redacted from the Koran. (Then there's another suggestion -- there's the claim that one of the "companions" to the prophet (whose task was to write down whatever the prophet said, since the prophet was illiterate) this companion in the novel confesses that he didn't accurately transcribe some of the verses -- that is, the companion acknowledges that he personally altered some of the "prophet's" verses...uh-oh...so the question becomes, "which ones?")
Bari said that the Indian-born author earned "notoriety among Muslims for the highly insulting and blasphemous manner in which he portrayed early Islamic figures much-loved and honoured by them." "The insensitive decision to grant Rushdie a knighthood can therefore only do harm to the image of our country in the eyes of hundreds of millions of Muslims across the world,"
I know exactly how Bari feels. I feel highly insulted at the blasphemous way the muslims in my country have denigrated piglet out of Winnie the Poo, have they no shame
oh Rushie what ever arogance this man has, he has pissed off a lot muslims and for that he should be given the medal of honour or lordship just to tick off a few million nutty islamists. its bee a while since the Danish cartoon came out and teased the poor sensibilities of the islamists, heck they are overdue for another tantrum. let their houses burn and kill each other. got popcorn.
From what I can gather from the top end of the MSM, and at least one of his ex-wives Rushdie is an arrogant and unpleasant man and disliked by a great many “clever” people in Britain and America. During the fuss when Satanic Verses was first published more than one reviewer observed that it was “Not an easy read” so the semi-literate majority of Muslims can hardly be expected to have read it.
Someone asked on a recent post how could a man with looks and build tending to Jabba the Hutt could have such attractive wives – he has had several but not all at once. The answer is he's rich and intellectual so looks don't matter.
As to why he got a knighthood at this time, the most obvious reason is our wonderful Mr Blair is putting one last – and nasty – boot into his hated successor Gordon Brown who will now have to deal with the backlash.
The Rushdie knighthood is surprising not because his writings offend Muslims, but because "The Satanic Verses" specifically and very scurrilously insulted Maggie Thatcher. I don't think he's ever retracted those insults, even in view of the fact that she was ultimately responsible for assigning him comprehensive police protection without charge afterward. I enjoy Rushdie's writing, but I'm more than a little surprised that the British government finds it appropriate so to honor the man..
On the contrary, I think that's what makes us a great country; and what distinguishes us from these savages.
dgene:
What's to like ?
Granted he is not a watercooler buddy.
But he represents our freedom to call a spade a spade in Islam. And we dont want to toss that away.
It wouldnt suprise me if he recommended Abu "the hook" Hamza al Masri as well.
Blair did more for the Moslems than any other British PM. Speak of ingrates! You try to please them at every turn, as Blair did, and they still come down on you. Seems like you can't win with these illegitimates.
Yes you can, but not by kow-towing to them. They understand only one language: that spoken by a strong hand holding a whip.
After reading so much about Muslims and iSlamb, I am convinced that "THE GOD" has a great sense of humor. Islam is not a religion of peace, it is a joke. Most comments here are so hilarious that I've stopped going to the Comedy Shows.
Every Friday we can write about Muslims and their petty behavior is lauded at the highest level. Can anyone with an ounce of common sense dispute that Islam is a joke and virus? It is like a photon going through two slits with a probability of a wave and a particle.
I wonder what %age of Muslims have any common sense?
They should get a life and live it.
After reading so much about Muslims and iSlamb, I am convinced that "THE GOD" has a great sense of humor. Islam is not a religion of peace, it is a joke. Most comments here are so hilarious that I've stopped going to the Comedy Shows.
Every Friday we can write about Muslims and their petty behavior is lauded at the highest level. Can anyone with an ounce of common sense dispute that Islam is a joke and virus? It is like a photon going through two slits with a probability of a wave and a particle.
I wonder what %age of Muslims have any common sense?
They should get a life and live it.
Assalamau Laikum all,
I wonder how grateful Salman Rushdie really is to Tony Blair....just when he was settling down to normal life...wham!!!
I think that Salam has been used politically....all he can do and say for this honour is thank you
....Sir Salman "Fatwa" Rushdie...
this is like the old British...at their best.
“I can't honestly say that if the Fatwa crowd gets him, that it'll really be a loss to the anti-Jihad movement”
I can’t understand this line of argument. Are you saying that it’s OK for Muslims to murder someone who is not quite as purely anti-Jihad as you are? That, to me, is like the left bickering amongst themselves while Hitler took over Germany in the thirties.
And I remember the late unlamented Lord Dacre, a.k.a. Hugh Trevor-Roper (who pronounced the Hitler Diaries to be genuine), saying something very similar in the wake of the fatwa against Rushdie, but for a different reason (I think because Rushdie was a bit of a nuisance and had insulted the sainted Maggie).
“....Sir Salman "Fatwa" Rushdie... this is like the old British...at their best.”
I’m glad you recognize the old British virtues, Naseem – according honour to someone who has gained merit in his field by his achievements – even if you disagree violently with his politics. Now that might be a lesson for Muslims to learn.
“Former Tory party chairman Norman Tebbit once wrote a good article lamenting Britain's decision to host him, instead of expelling him back to India.”
On what grounds, I wonder, did Tebbit think we could have expelled him? Disliking his opinions?
More proof of islamist insecurity complex brought on by their fear of exposure...murderous rage.
laughable...truly laughable
"But he represents our freedom to call a spade a spade in Islam. And we dont want to toss that away."
Well said, UK Infidel Lover
All those loooooooneeeeees in Bradford - and elsewhere - who rioted , shat their pants , and called for Rushdie's death , should have been tried for incitement to murder.
Pure and simple
It was a BIIIIIIG mistake by the UK Gov't not to do so and sent the completely wrong message to these knuckle scrapers.
Also, many Christian leaders in UK supported the Muslims' condemnation of Rushdie.....shame shame shame
Oh, one more thing. Three hearty cheers for T Bone Blair for getting this right.
HURRRRRRAH !
p.s. I actually read the "verses" and found it completely boring and a waste of time.
Posted by: Shunkleash at June 19, 2007 4:41 PM
***
Every time Rushdie's name comes up, I think of my old boss. He bought a copy of The Satanic Verses when it was first published, and found it so boring he gave up after a few pages. Then came the fatwa, so what did he do? Get the book out and give it another go, of course, just to see what all the hubbub was about.
Honestly, if it weren't for the fatwa, the book would probably be languishing on the 5/$1 table at used book sales.
Nassem wrote
I wonder how grateful Salman Rushdie really is to Tony Blair....just when he was settling down to normal life...wham!!!
That's right Nasseem, its all Tony Blair's fault. It has nothing to do with the psychopaths who are agitating for Rushdie's death. They're just acting on Blair's orders. He makes Muslims flip out so they look bad on national TV. That's why he nominated Rushdie. It couldn't be because Rushdie actually DESERVED to be nominated.
/sarcasm off.
Salman Rushdie is the very type of the intellectual who rises by being cleverly oppositional and against everything. He learned from his many predecessors who had done to Christianity what he did to Islam; but, being rooted in a fairly tribal and in some ways rather feeble rural and low-caste Islam - all the most interesting features of his writing go back to Kashimiri and Punjabi folklore that would be little different in Hindu India - he completely failed to assess the impact of his clever-clever sarcastic deconstructionism on the people who were just then seizing the leadership of world Islam - intellectuals as aggressive as himself, as ambitious as himself, and infinitely more ruthless. He never anticipated that his book would be noticed by a man as ruthless, as radical, and as completely self-satisfied as Khomeini - someone who would no more hesitate to condemn anyone to death than he would hesitate in drinking a cup of tea. The Islam Rushdie knew was the Islam of the first generation of Muslim immigrants to Britain from the sub-continent: the same people who, while tyrannical to the point of murder in their own home, have no understanding whatever of the radicalism of their own children, and instinctively reject and oppose terrorism.
To the person who quoted Hugh Trevor-Roper against Rushdie: you may not know this, but Trevor-Roper made himself notorious in the seventies for trying to get the Pakistani tyrant Zulfikar Ali Bhutto an honorary degree in spite of the fact that he had been guilty of the massacre of university students in Dhaka. When a number of lecturers in Oxford rose up to oppose this brilliant idea, Trevor-Roper revealed another endearing feature: he was not only a friend of student-murderers, but also a rabid anti-semite who had the sense to keep this passion of his very much in the closet (unlike his equally rabid hatred for the Catholic Church, a body he slanders on every page of his famous The last days of Hitler). He actually investigated the ancestry of his main opponents. Needless to say, this tactic did not do him any good and the honorary degree was not granted. Bhutto was later hanged by a fellow murderer. Trevor-Roper, I later found out, included a number of definite, purposeful and deliberate lies in The Last Days of Hitler. To detail them would be beyond the scope of this column, but anyone who wants to know about them can get in touch with me.
Even in his own refuge in Cambridge, Trevor-Roper was hated. When, towards the end of his life, he made a fool of himself over the faked diaries of Adolf Hitler, the whole university rejoiced.
Has anybody noted that today is Sir Ahmed birthday
Thats right Sir Ahmed Salman Rushdie,s birthday
Goat the Fuckers
http://illustratedpig.blogspot.com/2007/06/goat-fuckers.html
Oh, PS, about Rushdie's wives; apart from the fact that he is universally said to look better than his photographs - he is one of those unfortunate people who are not flattered by the camera - I would say that at least one of them is no better than he is. I think Marianne Wiggins was a literary climber who attached herself to Rushdie until John Dollar, her shameless and tasteless rip-off of William Golding's great Lord of the Flies, had established her as a writer of, er, substance. She then dumped him, at the time of highest danger for him - such courage! - and is now a university professor somewhere in the United States, which confirms everything I hear about American universities.
I would like to add
I think Sir سلمان رشدی;(English translation - Sir Salman Rushdie) has had a much better life than all the jerks who want to kill him
You dont believe me, well see here, the proof is in the pudding
A must see
http://illustratedpig.blogspot.com/2007/06/no-burqas-here-june-19.html
Now thats a tasty dish
I have to applaud Blair and the Queen (or her advisors) who have definitely shown some true British values with this action.
Regarding earlier comments about Maggie Thatcher and her govt's support for Salman, I think if you go back over the media reports at the time that there was a lot of foot dragging on their part around the time of the fatwa. They seemed more concerned with their economic possibilities in Iran than in something as petty as freedom of speech. From memory I'm pretty sure that providing proper security for Salman was something they did with reluctance rather than enthusiasm.
As for the actual book, - I've never read it, but might some day. I still have the hardcover copy I went out and bought the day I heard that Khomeini had issued a Fatwa against him. I figured buying the hardcover would give a greater return to Rushdie and the publishers than buying it in paperback and I wanted to contribute to anyone showing courage in defence of freedom of speech.
Freedom of speech is the foundation on which all our other freedoms rest, and by freedom of speech I mean the freedom to insult, blaspheme, defile, disagree and contradict anyone and anything. I may not agree with what you say, or what Salman says, but I'll defend your right to say it.
I hope Lord Ahmed will renounce his peerage in protest.
Ditto the ridiculously named Baroness uddin (Baroness of faith?)
The statement: "He never anticipated that his book would be noticed by a man as ruthless, as radical, and as completely self-satisfied as Khomeini..." I wonder if that's accurate. Rushdie parodied Khomeini in the Satanic Verses. I'm sure that the parody was what riled Khomeini -- or at least spurred Khomeini on to issue the Fatwa. Perhaps Rushdie didn't expect the Fatwa, but i think he knew who it was he was parodying...(as did everyone else).
Very informative post, Paelo.
Very lovely lovely lovely photo, Shiva.
Lovely lovely lovely
Very informative post, Paolo.
Very lovely lovely lovely photo, Shiva.
Lovely lovely lovely
Lord Ahmed was interviewed by Jon Snow on London's Channel 4 TV News a couple of nights ago. I'd never actually seen this Lord Ahmed before although I knew of him as one of the Labour Party's pet 'Asians' (i.e. special pet Muslims from Pakistan and Bangladesh designed to make 'New Labour' look 'inclusive').
Anyone who has had the misfortune to have had to listen to one of Tariq Ali's bullying and self-righteous harangues will know exactly what Ahmed in full spittle-flow looks and sounds like.
One of the questions Snow asked the frothing settler was if he would be renouncing his peerage in protest at Rusdie's knighthood?
Oh no, he replied, he wasn't going to do that, he'd earned being a lord. He then went on to say that dozens of 'ordinary' hard-working worthies earned MBEs and other lowly awards but what had Rushdie done to earn a knighthood?
Clearly by suggesting that ordinary worthy folk sometimes managed to be rewarded with MBEs (a fairly modest award compared to a knighthood) his own peerage was justified and huge recognition of his giant, dwarfing, colossus of a contribution to British life....
Snow doesn't really do giving Muslims a hard time (by contrast Israelis and pro-Israel interviewees are usually cut off in mid-sentence - that is on the few occasions they actually make it onto Channel4 News) so the interview entirely failed to show why the British Honours List should be attacked by a mediocrity of a settler who is lucky merely to live in Britain, never mind be given a ludicrous peerage and sit in the House of Lords helping to make English laws.
I look forward to going back to the US much as I love England. The sun long ago set on our empire and now it is setting on us.
Lord Ahmed was interviewed by Jon Snow on London's Channel 4 TV News a couple of nights ago. I'd never actually seen this Lord Ahmed before although I knew of him as one of the Labour Party's pet 'Asians' (i.e. special pet Muslims from Pakistan and Bangladesh designed to make 'New Labour' look 'inclusive').
Anyone who has had the misfortune to have had to listen to one of Tariq Ali's bullying and self-righteous harangues will know exactly what Ahmed in full spittle-flow looks and sounds like.
One of the questions Snow asked the frothing settler was if he would be renouncing his peerage in protest at Rusdie's knighthood?
Oh no, he replied, he wasn't going to do that, he'd earned being a lord. He then went on to say that dozens of 'ordinary' hard-working worthies earned MBEs and other lowly awards but what had Rushdie done to earn a knighthood?
Clearly by suggesting that ordinary worthy folk sometimes managed to be rewarded with MBEs (a fairly modest award compared to a knighthood) his own peerage was justified and huge recognition of his giant, dwarfing, colossus of a contribution to British life....
Snow doesn't really do giving Muslims a hard time (by contrast Israelis and pro-Israel interviewees are usually cut off in mid-sentence - that is on the few occasions they actually make it onto Channel4 News) so the interview entirely failed to show why the British Honours List should be attacked by a mediocrity of a settler who is lucky merely to live in Britain, never mind be given a ludicrous peerage and sit in the House of Lords helping to make English laws.
I look forward to going back to the US much as I love England. The sun long ago set on our empire and now it is setting on us.
Lord Ahmed was interviewed by Jon Snow on London's Channel 4 TV News a couple of nights ago. I'd never actually seen this Lord Ahmed before although I knew of him as one of the Labour Party's pet 'Asians' (i.e. special pet Muslims from Pakistan and Bangladesh designed to make 'New Labour' look 'inclusive').
Anyone who has had the misfortune to have had to listen to one of Tariq Ali's bullying and self-righteous harangues will know exactly what Ahmed in full spittle-flow looks and sounds like.
One of the questions Snow asked the frothing settler was if he would be renouncing his peerage in protest at Rusdie's knighthood?
Oh no, he replied, he wasn't going to do that, he'd earned being a lord. He then went on to say that dozens of 'ordinary' hard-working worthies earned MBEs and other lowly awards but what had Rushdie done to earn a knighthood?
Clearly by suggesting that ordinary worthy folk sometimes managed to be rewarded with MBEs (a fairly modest award compared to a knighthood) his own peerage was justified and huge recognition of his giant, dwarfing, colossus of a contribution to British life....
Snow doesn't really do giving Muslims a hard time (by contrast Israelis and pro-Israel interviewees are usually cut off in mid-sentence - that is on the few occasions they actually make it onto Channel4 News) so the interview entirely failed to show why the British Honours List should be attacked by a mediocrity of a settler who is lucky merely to live in Britain, never mind be given a ludicrous peerage and sit in the House of Lords helping to make English laws.
I look forward to going back to the US much as I love England. The sun long ago set on our empire and now it is setting on us.
My apologies for my post above appearing three times. A bad worker blames his tools but it was a technical glitch. I will try to ensure it doesn't happen again.
Moris 2.
Shiva,
Your picture of the Hefty bag convention, with sticks, along with the apropos caption, is priceless!
Just to clarify, in "The Satanic Verses", in the dream vision of one of the characters, Muhammad's wives were not depicted as prostitutes. In the dream, there was a brothel in which the prostitutes used the names of Muhammad's wives.
I still think the novel was every bit as insulting to Maggie Thatcher's Britain as it was to Muhammad or Islam. Rushdie was a strange choice for knighthood. If I were British I'd probably protest on those grounds. On the other hand, Muslim nations don't have much business sticking their noses into what is essentially internal British business.
About the offensive bits of the Satanic Verses...
I've read the following:
[begin]
excerpt from: "The Rushdie incident as law-and-literature parable." (Salman Rushdie). Pinaki Chakravorty.
Yale Law Journal 104.n8 (June 1995):
"The brothel episode dreamed by Farishta is perhaps the most potently offensive. Prostitutes in a brothel in Jahilia (the fictional equivalent of Mecca) improve their business when they take on the names and manner of the Prophet's twelve wives."
[end]
I guess one could say that this is not a depiction of Mo's wives as prostitutes. It's prostitutes depicting themselves as Mo's wives. Clarification noted.