Salman Rushdie Backs Out of Commencement Speech at Claremont McKenna College Over Protest Threats
“Claremont McKenna’s Muslim Student Association had criticized the college’s choice of Rushdie”
Where are all the people on the left who suddenly claim to care about free speech on college campuses?
From the Independent, via Yahoo News:
Salman Rushdie pulls out as commencement speaker at California college over protest threats
Novelist Salman Rushdie backed out of delivering a commencement speech at a California college just days before the graduation, following protests by some students on campus.
The celebrated British-Indian author, whose novel The Satanic Verses has long triggered controversy and even death threats, backed out of delivering a May 17 commencement speech at Claremont McKenna College earlier this week, the Los Angeles Daily News reported.
News that Rushdie, 77, would no longer deliver the address was shared across the campus in an email from Claremont McKenna President Hiram Chodosh.
“I write with news that Sir Salman Rushdie notified us yesterday of his decision to withdraw as our keynote commencement speaker,” he wrote.
“This decision was his alone and completely beyond our control,” Chodosh added. “We remain steadfast in our commitment to Sir Salman’s visit to CMC and have extended an open invitation to him to speak on our campus in the future.”
Claremont McKenna’s Muslim Student Association had criticized the college’s choice of Rushdie in a May 2 statement, calling it “disrespectful” and out of line with the college’s commitment to inclusion.
Rushdie’s famous 1988 novel has triggered controversy since it was published for its depiction of the Prophet Muhammad. One year after the novel’s publication, Iran’s spiritual leader at the time, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, issued a fatwa on the author — prompting him to spend years in hiding.
The author has also made headlines in recent years after he was stabbed 15 times on stage while preparing to deliver a lecture in western New York. The horrifying incident caused him to lose sight in one eye, his agent said.
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Comments
Big mistake. Claremont backed down, and that will embolden extremists.
Claremont used to be considered ‘conservative’ alternative for CA. Reagan had some influential advisors from Claremont. The Claremont Institute was considered a conservative think tank.
Maybe that’s all gone with the wind as CA has gone over the cliff.
The MSA can go suck a pork butt.
Nothing says inclusion like excluding someone.
The Left’s version of inclusion is about who you exclude.
its good that we keep backing down to the group that is taking over america
so that they can keep taking over
Get the scum muzslimes out of our country.