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Journalism of Courage
Defeating the thought police
LONDON: The outspoken leader of Britian8217;s self-styled Muslim parliament threatened on Sunday to 8220;break every bone8221; in the body of author Salman Rushdie, on the fourth anniversary of the Iranian death sentence on the latter.
In a local radio interview, Kalim Siddiqui said: 8220;I do not want to kill him. We will just break every bone in his body.8221;
8220;If this man does not leave the centre stage and if he doesn8217;t stop insulting us, then ultimately we will have to come and get him.8221;
Sunday was the fourth anniversary of the fatwah, or religious decree, by the late Iranian spiritual leader Ayatollah Khomeini in 1989, ordering Rushdie to be killed for 8220;blasphemy8221; contained in his novel, The Satanic Verses.
In Teheran, Iran8217;s current spiritual leader, Ayatollah Ali Khameini, called on Sunday for the author to be handed over so that the decree could be carried out.
Iran insists the fatwah can only be repealed by the man who issued it Khomeini. Which position,the foreign office here said, says is 8220;clearly unhelpful8221; in efforts to improve bilateral relations.
In a surprise appearance at a chapel at Cambridge University, northeast of London, Rushdie denounced the fatwah as a 8220;terrorist threat8221;. The novelist has lately emerged more often from hiding to urge world leaders to pressure Iran into lifting the fatwah.
On Friday, Rushdie, appearing on the US Cable New Network CNN, said he was more optimistic that Iran would be forced to abandon the death sentence against him because of the changing attitude of the rest of the world.
The world may not be behind him, but a few governments are now coming to his aid.
In an editorial on the fourth anniversary of the fatwah, The Washington Post, quoting Rushdie, said the British have informed the Iranians that full diplomatic relations can never be resumed until the sentence is revoked.
It said: 8220;If a man be condemned to death for words in a book and, furthermore, if the outlaw regime of one country can beallowed to order a terrorist attack on a man in another, just because it hates his views civilised governments cannot wink at the outrage.8221;
The Iranian government said, the Post, 8220;maintains conveniently that the decree can8217;t be revoked because the issuer Khomeini is dead, and a government-supported 8220;foundation8221; in Teheran meanwhile continues to offer 2 million in blood-money for anyone who kills Rushdie.8221;
FOR his part, Rushdie is determined not to allow the fatwah to so completely dominate his day-to-day life anymore. The author has been speaking out frequently, publicly and with increasing force.
8220;It8217;s taken the government four years to realise that the softly-softly approach does not work,8221; he said recently. 8220;I regret I kept my mouth shut for so long. I allowed the other side to set the agenda.8221;
And as he set about completing his latest novel, The Moor8217;s Last Sigh, Rushdie has at last snatched the initiative in this sordid episode and clearly chosen his side.
As he recently said:8220;At one time, I would have failed Norman Tebbit8217;s immigration test which side do you cheer when it8217;s India versus England. I think I8217;d now cheer for England.
No doubt, India8217;s loss has been Britain8217;s gain.
Excerpted from reports carried in Indian Express8217; in February8217;93
