Al-Qaida Threatens Uk Over Rushdie Honour

Al-Qaida today threatened Britain with retaliation for the knighthood the UK awarded to the novelist Salman Rushdie, a US-based intelligence group said.

In a new video message, Osama bin Laden's deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri, accused Britain of insulting Islam by honoring the author of The Satanic Verses.

In a 20-minute speech, entitled "Malicious Britain and its Indian slaves", he was reported as saying a "very precise response" was being prepared.

The speech was reported by the US-based SITE intelligence group, which monitors al-Qaida messages.

Addressing Gordon Brown, the al-Qaida deputy leader said Britain's strategy in the Middle East "has brought tragedy and defeat upon you, not only in Afghanistan and Iraq but also in the center of London".

He was also quoted as warning the prime minister: "And if you did not understand, listen: we are ready to repeat it for you."

A video of the speech was issued to jihadist forums today.

Its release followed protests from Muslim groups in Britain and condemnation abroad over the decision last month to knight Mr Rushdie.

Pakistan's religious affairs minister, Mohammad Ejaz ul-Haq, was reported as suggesting that the knighthood justified suicide attacks, although he has since denied condoning violence.

Iran's foreign ministry said the honor was a "provocative act", and the overwhelming majority of the country's MPs condemned it.

Mr Rushdie was forced to go into hiding for 10 years after Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa in 1989 calling for his assassination for what was seen as blasphemy in The Satanic Verses.

The Foreign Office tonight reiterated that the knighthood had been awarded purely in recognition of Rushdie's literary achievements.

"The government have already made clear that Rushdie's honor was not intended as an insult to Islam or the prophet Muhammad," a spokesman said.

"It was a reflection of his contribution to literature throughout a long and distinguished career."

Inayat Bunglawala, spokesman for the Muslim Council of Britain, told the Press Association: "To reward Rushdie with a knighthood was an ill-thought-out decision. It was bound to cause outrage among many Muslims around the world, considering the way Rushdie portrayed key Islamic figures in his book The Satanic Verses.

"However, it was quite predictable that al-Qaida would try to use the knighthood to try to further their own goals, of polarizing Muslims and the west. It was not unexpected."

A Downing Street spokesman said: "We do not intend to dignify this with a response. As the prime minister has said, we will not allow terrorists to undermine the British way of life. The British people will remain united, resolute and strong."

The rest of the new tape addressed a familiar list of al-Qaida grievances.

According to SITE, Zawahri criticized Hamas for compromising with Israel, urged Muslims to join what he said was a jihad against the west and welcomed a bombing that killed six United Nations peacekeepers in southern Lebanon last month.

He also criticized Pakistan's president, Pervez Musharraf, saying that rather than by voting in elections, Muslims should oppose him by fighting alongside the Taliban.

It was not immediately clear whether Zawahri had recorded his tape before or after the failed car bomb attacks in London and Glasgow and the siege at the Red Mosque in Islamabad, Pakistan.

The al-Qaida deputy has so far issued eight video messages this year, along with a number of audio speeches.