London ? British Muslims on Friday joined in protests against Britain’s decision to honor Salman Rushdie with a knighthood, while a hard-line Islamic cleric in Iran declared that the 1989 religious edict calling for the author to be killed remained in place.

Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami told students in Tehran that the edict, known as a fatwa, could not be revoked, and he warned Britain it was defying the Islamic world by honoring a man who Muslims feel insulted their religion.

Muslims also demonstrated in Pakistan and India’s Kashmir region.

The protesters in London, some masking their faces with scarves, addressed worshippers leaving prayers outside Regent’s Park mosque. Gathered under a canopy of trees, the crowd of about 100 people listened to speeches demanding the Iranian death edict be expedited.