Friday 12 August 2022 11:10 PM Iran's Ayatollah Khamenei says that the fatwa against Salman Rushdie was 'fired ... trends now
Supporters of Iran have been celebrating the callous attack on Salman Rushdie, which saw the author stabbed up to 15 times at an event in upstate New York
Supporters of Iran have been celebrating the callous attack on Salman Rushdie, which saw the author stabbed up to 15 times – including once in the neck.
Rushdie, 75, was attacked by Hadi Matar, 24, as he was being introduced to the stage for the CHQ 2022 event in Chautauqua, near Buffalo in upstate New York, on Friday morning. He was airlifted to hospital and undergoing surgery in Erie, Pennsylvania.
He was issued a fatwa – a death sentence - in 1989 by Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini after his book, the Satanic Verses, sparked and outcry with Muslims in Britain.
The book supposedly insulted the Prophet Mohammed and The Koran, with Khomeini calling for Rushdie's death, and also called for Muslims to point him out to those who could kill him if they could not themselves.
So far Iran has not officially commented on the attack against the author by Matar, who rushed the stage after approaching him from behind. It's believed that Matar is sympathetic to the Iranian regime and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard.
But supporters of the government have praised the stabbing, saying that it is Khomeini's fatwa finally materializing into action after 33 years.
Some said that they were hoping for the author, who was knighted in 2007 in Britain 'for services to literature', to die following the brutal attack.
Others warned that those who were considered an enemy to the Islamic Republic would suffer a similar fate as him.
A quote reportedly from Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the current Iranian leader, was shared online with him saying the fatwa against Rushdie was 'fired like a bullet that won't rest until it hits its target.'
Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa against Rushdie in 1989 after his book, the Satanic Verses, sparked and outcry with Muslims in Britain. The book supposedly insulted the Prophet Mohammed and The Koran, with Khomeini calling for Rushdie's death, and also called for Muslims to point him out to those who could kill him if they could not themselves
Rushdie, 75, was attacked by Hadi Matar, 24, as he was being introduced to the stage for the CHQ 2022 event in Chautauqua, near Buffalo, on Friday morning. Pictured: Matar is walked to a squad car in handcuffs
Conservative Iranian pundit Keyvan Saedy said on Twitter: 'This deserves congratulation: God willing, we will celebrate Salman Rushdie going to hell soon.'
Hossein Saremi, a conservative social media activist, added that a 'lion' had beaten Rushdie and that the attacker was part of 'Islam's soldiers without borders.'
He wrote: 'Revenge may be delayed, but it will inevitably happen'.
A senior adviser to Iran's nuclear negotiating team, Seyed Mohammad Marandi, said that he will not shed a tear for the writer 'who spouts endless hatred and contempt for Muslims and Islam.'
Several accounts affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards, for which Matar reportedly was sympathetic towards, openly boasted about the attack.
One called Syria News published a post saying: 'The order was carried out at a place they never thought about. It's not important if he doesn't die; it's important that they understand the battle is not over.'
Eghtesad Salem,a conservative news website published a column saying that the attack was issuing a clear message to American officials.
It stated that they would be hunted down for the assassination of Iran's top general, Qassim Suleimani, who died in a U.S. airstrike in January 2020.
Rushdie was attacked on stage ahead of his speech in Chautauqua, near Buffalo, with witnesses claiming that he was 'punched and stabbed'
Medics attended to Rushdie after the attack, with witnesses saying a man 'punched and stabbed' the author as he was announced on stage
Blood was spattered on the wall behind where Rushdie had been attacked, with some also seen on a chair. New York State Police confirmed that Rushdie was stabbed in the neck
Majid Motamedi wrote: 'Carrying out the order to murder Salman Rushdie 33 years after it was issued sends a message to American officials that they must fear Iran's revenge for Gen.
'Qassim Suleimani, until their death, even if the revenge takes 33 years.'
The fatwa, or 'spiritual opinion', followed a wave
