Describe the main issues in the Rushdie affair and suggest ways in which it should be resolved.

The first 200 words of this essay...

Describe the main issues in the Rushdie affair and suggest ways in which it should be resolved.

Modern day Britain can be called a good example of a multi-cultural society, there are a number of different ethnic groups, all with diverse religious, cultural values and practices. There are fundamental differences, which distinguish such groups, but it is widely accepted that all individuals living in the United Kingdom should also abide by a common set of laws and values that maintain the structure of our modern liberal framework of society.

The impact of the 'Rushdie affair' created much controversy surrounding the Muslim community, their allegiance to their faith and how they responded to attacks on it. In addition, questions surrounding apparent cultural difficulties in accepting liberal values and an inability for the Muslim community to both live side by side and become accepted within British society were asked. Parekh B sums up his point with 'From time to time a multicultural society is bound throw up situations in which deep cultural and moral disagreements between its different communities come to the fore and create a crisis' (B Parekh, 1991, p295) This 'crisis', as it is called by Parekh, came