"Norway Didn't Give in to Islamophobia, nor should France"

[cemaphonic]

53. Rushdie's "opinions" are pretty hard-won though

Look at his experiences as a professional shit-stirrer though:

Writes a book where he compares Indira Gandhi to a child-eating demon. Result - sued

Writes another book that is a thinly-veiled criticism of Pakistan's military dictatorship. Result - book banned in Pakistan

Writes another book that is extremely critical of Thatcher's UK, which also contains an unflattering depiction of the early days of Islam (inside an entirely subjective frame - the Jahilia sections of The Satanic Verses are dreams from the viewpoint of a character that is undergoing an extreme personal crisis) - Result - Death threat pronounced against him by Khomeini, who was not just some random nutter, but the ruler of Iran, and one of the most prominent religious authorities within the Shia world. Subsequently upheld by many clerics across the Islamic world, and has never been rescinded. Meanwhile the other insulted party gave him both police protection, and went to bat for him diplomatically.

Book banning and getting sued for a metaphorical depiction in a fictional book are already pretty extreme by Western standards, but they aren't even in the same ballpark as a death threat and blood money promises by a head of state.