TEHRAN — On Monday, the Islamic Republic of Iran “categorically denied” any connection to the assailant who stabbed British writer Salman Rushdie, author of the heretical novel “The Satanic Verses.” Iran instead placed the responsibility on Rushdie.
First official response from Tehran after Friday’s stabbing: “We completely deny” any association with the crime and “no one has the right to condemn the Islamic Republic of Iran,” said foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanani.
At his weekly press conference in Tehran, he remarked, “In this attack, we do not consider anyone other than Salman Rushdie and his supporters worthy of guilt or even criticism.”
By “insulting the sacred matters of Islam” and “breaking the red lines” of 1.5 billion Muslims and all followers of the divine religions, Salman Rushdie has made himself a target of their hatred and rage.
On Friday, in western New York state, a man stabbed Rushdie, 75, during a literary event, leaving him with numerous stab wounds and requiring life support.
A spokesperson for the foreign ministry said, “In this attack, we do not consider anyone deserving of responsibility or even censure other than Salman Rushdie and his supporters.”
“categorically” denied any connection with the attacker who stabbed British writer Salman Rushdie, author of the infamous novel “The Satanic Verses.” Iran instead placed the responsibility on Rushdie.
In Tehran’s first official response to Friday’s stabbing, foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said, “We completely deny” any relation with the crime and “no one has the right to blame the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
At his weekly press conference in Tehran, he remarked, “In this attack, we do not consider anyone other than Salman Rushdie and his supporters worthy of blame and even censure.”
Rushdie, 75, was attacked at a literary event on Friday in western New York state, leaving him in critical condition with numerous stab wounds and requiring life support.
Hadi Matar, 24, a New Jersey resident and suspected assailant, was taken into arrest after being pulled to the ground by staff and audience members.
In the ensuing arraignment, he vehemently denied the attempted murder charges against him.
Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the supreme leader of Iran at the time, issued a fatwa (religious decree) in 1989 calling for Rushdie’s death due to the blasphemous content of “The Satanic Verses.”
