This is an archive article published on August 15, 2022

Iran says Rushdie and supporters to blame for attack

Freedom of speech does not justify Rushdie's insults against religion in his writing, ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani told a news briefing.

Iran had issued 'fatwa' against Booker Prize winner Indian-origin author Salman Rushdie for allegedly insulting the religious sentiments through his controversial book Satanic Versus. (Image: Representational/ Salman Rushdie-AP/file)

By: Reuters

2 min readDubaiAug 15, 2022 01:45 PM IST First published on: Aug 15, 2022 at 01:09 PM IST

Salman Rushdie and his supporters are the only people to blame for Friday’s attack on the novelist, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said on Monday.

Rushdie is recovering after being stabbed repeatedly at a public appearance in New York state.

Freedom of speech does not justify Rushdie’s insults against religion in his writing, ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani told a news briefing.

Also Read: | Salman Rushdie ‘on the road to recovery,’ agent says

The Indian-born writer has lived with a bounty on his head since the publication of his 1988 novel “The Satanic Verses,” which is viewed by some Muslims as containing blasphemous passages.

In 1989 Iran’s then Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa, or edict, calling on Muslims to kill the novelist and anyone involved in the book’s publication.