Audience Member: Is Salman Rushdie's knighthood an insult to Muslims worldwide?
Baroness Shirley Williams: I think it was a mistake... This is a man who's deeply offended Muslims in a very powerful way, who has been protected by the British police against threats of suicide [attacks] for years and years at great expense to the taxpayer, and frankly I think it was not wise and not very clever to give him a knighthood.
Christopher Hitchens: I think that's a contemptible statement and I think everyone who applauded it should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves. Do you really think it's a waste of time and money defending free expression from suicide murderers? If you do, can you think of a better cause the money should go on? People who claim to be offended can by all means do so--it takes a lot to make me cry--but people who say, "I'm so offended I'm going to start suicide bombing in my country" have to be told, "No. We won't have talk of murder for the writing of novels."
