“My ex-wife, Jemima, designed the house - it is really paradise for me,†Imran Khan, the Pakistani cricketer-turned-politician told Pankaj Mishra, who wrote about Mr. Khan in the Sunday Magazine section of The New York Times.
“‘My greatest regret is that she is not here to enjoy it,' he added, unexpectedly poignantly.†Mr. Mishra wrote.
“The moment of melancholy confession passed,†Mr. Mishra wrote. “Leaning forward in the dark, his hands chopping the air for emphasis, Khan unleashed a flood of strong, often angrily righteous, opinions about secularism, Islam, women's rights and Salman Rushdie.â€
That month he had canceled his participation at a conference in New Delhi where Rushdie was expected, citing the offense caused by “The Satanic Verses†to Muslims worldwide. Rushdie, in turn, suggested Khan was a “dictator in waiting,†comparing his looks with those of Libya's former dictator, Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi.
“What is he talking about? What is he talking about?†Khan started, “I always hated his writing. He always sees the ugly side of things. He is - what is the word Jews use? - a ‘self-hating' Muslim.
“Why can't the West understand? When I first went to England, I was shocked to see the depiction of Christianity in Monty Python's ‘Life of Brian.' This is their way. But for us Muslims, the holy Koran and the prophet, peace be upon him, are sacred. Why can't the West accept that we have different ways of looking at our religions?
“Anyway,†Khan said in a calmer voice, “I am called an Islamic fundamentalist by Rushdie. My critics in Pakistan say I am a Zionist agent. I must be doing something right.â€
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