Sir Imran Khan?? Why not??

[SJS]

Why is it such a big deal anyway.....Imran was Imran and the world knows what he did on the field....to me a Sir to his name will not bring or take away anything from Imran.

I am afraid you miss the point my friend.

Anyone who has been exceptional in his/her field can say the same. Frank Worrell would not have been a lesser person if he hadn't been knighted nor mandela without his Noble Peace Prize or so many others who received this or other forms of recognition. This does not mean a recognition or an award should, therefore be considered worthless. A recognition with the top awards surely is something people cherish.

When Tendulkar does finally get a Bharat ratna, as i am sure he will one day, it will surely be one of the proudest days of his life although he is not a lesser cricketer or person without it.

Wouldn't it be a great day for Imran to get the Nishaan-e-Pak ? If yes, does it add anything to him? If not, are you saying that awards should only be given to people who will actually become greater for it- in other words those who are not really worthy ?

 

[Fusion]

Count me in the “it doesn’t make a difference either way” category. It’s all a moot point since he doesn’t even qualify for it but if Imran, or anyone else, was awarded this title they should feel honored that their achievements are being recognized by Britain. The award/title should carry no more or less significance than if another country handed it out to them.

 

[Richard]

There's a good case for arguing that the honours system is a relic and should go. (Knighthoods however aren't particularly imperial in nature: there have been knights in England since the Middle Ages).

Hereditary titles are even worse mind you. I don't see why someone should have the right to be called "lord" or "sir" (in the case of a baronet) simply because of their parentage.

Thankfully, they're on the road to being abolished, UIMM. The notion of someone sitting in the House Of Lords - and thus having an influence in how the legal system of this country moves forwards - purely because their great-granddaddy did something of note in his own day is hideous.

 

[Richard]

Sir Adam Stanford In fact I am not a big fan of any honorary title.

Yeah not a great one, him. Nor Emperor Hirohito or Nicolae Ceacescu...

Haha, Sir Allen Stanford and Adam Sanford... possibly the most interesting\weird hybrid proposal I've ever come accross...

 

[Faisal1985]

I am afraid you miss the point my friend.

Anyone who has been exceptional in his/her field can say the same. Frank Worrell would not have been a lesser person if he hadn't been knighted nor mandela without his Noble Peace Prize or so many others who received this or other forms of recognition. This does not mean a recognition or an award should, therefore be considered worthless. A recognition with the top awards surely is something people cherish.

When Tendulkar does finally get a Bharat ratna, as i am sure he will one day, it will surely be one of the proudest days of his life although he is not a lesser cricketer or person without it.

Wouldn't it be a great day for Imran to get the Nishaan-e-Pak ? If yes, does it add anything to him? If not, are you saying that awards should only be given to people who will actually become greater for it- in other words those who are not really worthy ?

its easy to twist the logic the way you have...

In this case its a British honour for a Pakistani. Pakistan does give out honorary titles to those who die in a war or for the country itself. It is deemed as an act which has brought betterment for the human kind or at least for the people of Pakistan.

Nelson Mandela brought a positive change for the people. Abdul Sattar Edhi has brought a positive change for the people of Pakistan and UN rewarded him. These issues are entirely separate from awarding a Sir to a great cricketer...

If that's the logic that you go with then even a good farmer should be awarded a "Sir" title....if he is exceptional in his work. Why only cricketers....how about players from Kabadi?

At the end of the day, its pointless my friend....

 

[Furball]

Faisal, you're missing the point that as it's a British honour, the person in question would have had to made an impact culturally in Britain, which would exclude every Kabadi player around.

The reason the knighthood would be such an honour is because it's another country recognising the contribution the player has made. If I was a cricketer and was revered enough to be awarded the Pakistani or Indian equivelant, that would be more of an honour to me than getting a knighthood.

 

[Faisal1985]

Faisal, you're missing the point that as it's a British honour, the person in question would have had to made an impact culturally in Britain, which would exclude every Kabadi player around.

The reason the knighthood would be such an honour is because it's another country recognising the contribution the player has made. If I was a cricketer and was revered enough to be awarded the Pakistani or Indian equivelant, that would be more of an honour to me than getting a knighthood.

I am questioning the very logic of the award itself. That is why i said its a pointless thing to begin with.

Its evident that a farmer or a Kabadi player would not be a choice for an award even in his own country because both "fields" of work are not something deemed as a cause for the human kind or for the betterment of the human kind. In terms of this Sir award it belongs to the same category, irrespective whether England recognizes it or any other country or Pakistan itself. Imran was a great cricketer and a good captain. Did this bring a change to the people of Pakistan like Nelson Mandela brought for the South Africans? The answer is no. Did he lay his life in the field of service for the safety and security of Pakistani people? No, he didn't. Same goes for England. How did Imran bring any betterment to the people of England? He didn't. He was simply a good player of the game that happens to come from England.

To me awards should be given to those who do something good for the people as a whole. Like Nelson Mandela did, Like Newton did or like Edhi did in Pakistan or many other names that have been mentioned here before.

I don't consider Imran's achievements as a cricketer anything but mere brilliance in cricket. If he did something great for the society as a whole, (could be the English society), that to me would have more weight and probably worthy of recognition.

 

[nightprowler10]

Wouldn't the cancer hospital put him in that category though?

 

[jeevan]

Was an intriguing question, so googled it - Seems a few people have, in fact, received knighthoods recently for 'services to agriculture'. No, didn't try to look for kabbadi players among the new years lists.

Given the receptions cricketers have received (English after Ashes 05, Indian after T20I WC in 07, Pak in 09, ) hard to think that people like SRT, Imran don't have a big effect on picking up spirits of a people (more often than they let them down) and so awards for these caliber of sportsmen don't seem incongruous. Now whether proud sub-continentals should kneel in front of the English equivalent of a holy cow, is a different topic. Shorn of the imperial symbolism, answer appears to be yes.

 

[jeevan]

Wouldn't the cancer hospital put him in that category though?

If his cricket was not enough, what he did with his cricketing fame (this) - yes.

 

[Xuhaib]

Wouldn't the cancer hospital put him in that category though?

has built a world class university now, they guy is so awesome as long as he is kept away from politics

 

[social]

Count me in the “it doesn’t make a difference either way” category. It’s all a moot point since he doesn’t even qualify for it but if Imran, or anyone else, was awarded this title they should feel honored that their achievements are being recognized by Britain. The award/title should carry no more or less significance than if another country handed it out to them.

Sums it up nicely IMO

 

[Faisal1985]

If awarded/recognized for University/Hospital, of course he is worthy of it.....certainly a big social service in a country which desperately needs these contributions...

 

[Faisal1985]

Wouldn't the cancer hospital put him in that category though?

of course.