A PROTEST against novelist Sir Salman Rushdie's recent knighthood proved to be a wash-out.

A march had been planned in Blackburn by Tasaddiq Rehman, spokesman for local group the Muslim Council of Europe, on Saturday afternoon.

But nobody turned up at the meeting point of Bangor Street Community Centre, nor at the town hall where a demonstration was planned.

It appears that not even the organiser himself had attended, despite telling the Lancashire Telegraph that he expected high levels of interest in the march.

The British government's decision to appoint Sir Salman a Knight Bachelor for "services to literature" last month sparked controversy and fury among Muslims worldwide.

The British-born novelist has been a hate figure in Islam ever since a fatwa - or religious edict - calling for his assassination was issued in 1989, in response to his book The Satanic Verses which was deemed to insult Islam.

Sir Salman denied the charge but spent 10 years in hiding.

Salim Mulla, secretary of the Lancashire Council of Mosques, said: "I hadn't heard of this march, but I don't really support marches like this because I think some of the messages they give out can do damage to relationships between Muslim and indigenous communities.

"I know there is strong feeling across the Muslim community that Mr Rushdie should not have received the knighthood, and people should speak up, but there are other ways of expressing your views.

"I wrote to Jack Straw on behalf of the council to tell him we feel Mr Rushdie shouldn't have been given the knighthood because of the animosity he has caused in the Muslim community."

Mr Rehman was unavailable for comment.