Aug 13 (Reuters) – Several ultra-conservative Iranian newspapers on Saturday praised the man who stabbed and seriously injured writer Salman Rushdie in the United States the day before.
Iran has not yet officially responded to the attack on Salman Rushdie, who was shot in the neck and chest on Friday during a conference in New York state.
“A thousand congratulations (…) to the courageous and obedient person who attacked the apostate and the demon Salman Rushdie New York”, writes the Kayhan newspaper, whose editor-in-chief is appointed by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
“The hand of the man who tore the neck of the enemy of God must be kissed”, he adds.
On February 14, 1989, Ayatollah Khomeini, Supreme Leader of the Iranian Revolution, issued a fatwa (religious decree) calling on Muslims to kill Salman Rushdie after the latter published the “Satanic Verses”, forcing the British author to live in clandestinity.
The Asr Iran news site published an oft-quoted quote from Ali Khamenei on Saturday that the “arrow” fired by Khomeini “will one day hit the target”.
The daily Khorasan for its part headlined: “Satan on his way to hell”.
The perpetrator of the attack, whose motive is not yet known, was arrested and placed in custody. Police said it was a 24-year-old man from New Jersey, whom they identified as Hadi Matar.
Salman Rushdie was placed on life support after his attack, condemned by writers and politicians around the world.
(Duba office, French version Jean-Michel Blot)