'Satan on the way to hell': Iranian hardline newspapers praise attack on Salman Rushdie
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Previously, Rushdie had drawn threats from Iran. After the release of his novel Satanic Verses in 1988, he reportedly received death threats over passages which some Muslims claim are blasphemous.
The attack on Salman Rushdie prompted a flow of well-wishes for the critically injured author, but unfortunately, it also elicited unpleasant reactions.
According to Reuters, some hardline Iranian media praised Rushdie's attacker on Saturday, just a day after the incident, as the author of the novel "The Satanic Verses" was put on a ventilator.
Watch | Gravitas: Salman Rushdie stabbed in New York
Since the Friday stabbing, Iran has not made any official comment, however, a hardline newspaper called Kayhan, whose editor-in-chief is appointed by Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, wrote: “A thousand bravos ... to the brave and dutiful person who attacked the apostate and evil Salman Rushdie in New York," adding, “The hand of the man who tore the neck of God's enemy must be kissed.”
After yesterday's assassination attempt on #SalmanRushdie, Kayhan newspaper in #Iran (whose editor is appointed by Khamenei) published the below piece praising the attack.
— NUFDI (@NUFDIran) August 13, 2022
NUFDI has translated the chilling remarks into English in full:
"A thousand hurrahs, a hundred bravos..." pic.twitter.com/YLarOYY9ps
Another hardline newspaper Vatan Emrooz's headline was: “Knife in Salman Rushdie’s neck”.
“Satan on the way to hell”, read the headline of the Khorasan daily.
Also read | Salman Rushdie attack reactions: 'Your words are stronger than their weapons, therefore they attack you'
The Asr Iran news site published an often-cited comment by Khamenei in which he stated that the "arrow" shot by Khomeini "will one day hit the target."
Previously, Rushdie had drawn threats from Iran. After the release of his novel Satanic Verses in 1988, he reportedly received death threats over passages which some Muslims claim are blasphemous.
When it was first published, the book was also banned in many countries with significant Muslim populations.
After the Indian-born author's work was deemed blasphemous, the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the supreme leader of Iran at the time, issued a fatwa, or religious decree, calling on Muslims worldwide to kill him. This eventually led Rushdie into years of hiding.
(With inputs from agencies)
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