With much of the Islamic world still in uproar over Mr. Salman Rushdie and the alleged blasphemies in his book The Satanic Verses, Mrs. Thatcher has made it plain that she has some sympathy for Muslims who feel deeply offended. In London this afternoon, she was asked whether she agreed with the remarks made yesterday by the Foreign Secretary, Sir Geoffrey Howe, who&em;while defending the right of Mr. Rushdie to his opinions&em;said that the book contained much that was offensive not only to the Islamic faith, but also to Christianity and the British people. Did the Prime Minister share Sir Geoffrey's thinking? [end p1]
MT
We've known in our own religion, people are doing things which are deeply offensive to some of us - deeply offensive - and, we felt it very much. And, that is what has happened in Islam. I think that these great religions are strong enough and deep enough to withstand these kind of events. They will endure long after the names of the people who criticised them have been forgotten.