Iranian leader slams 'Western, Zionist capitalists,' reaffirms Rushdie death fatwa

"Ayatollah revives the death fatwa on Salman Rushdie," from AFP, with thanks to Andy Bannister:

A FATWA against the author Salman Rushdie was reaffirmed by Iran’s spiritual leader last night in a message to Muslim pilgrims.
British officials anxiously played down comments after Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, told Muslims making the annual pilgrimage to Mecca that Rushdie was an apostate whose killing would be authorised by Islam, according to the Iranian media.

His words came during a lengthy tirade against “Western and Zionist capitalists” and the US-led War on Terror.

However, senior British officials swiftly made plain last night that the Iranian Government, which had disassociated itself from the fatwa in 1998, had not changed its position.They pointed out that because the fatwa was issued in February 1989 by Iran’s revolutionary founder and Khamenei’s predecessor, Ayatollah Khomeini, who had since died, it would always remain in existence.

Why is the British government cleaning up messes made by Khamenei?

They insisted that the move did not presage a further deterioration in the already tense relations with Iran over its nuclear programme. “This should not be taken as a new development,” one said.
The Foreign Office said: “The key thing from our point of view is that the Iranian Government formally withdrew their support for the fatwa on Salman Rushdie in 1998 which is when Britain and Iran formally upgraded their relationship to the level of ambassador.” A senior official said: “The original fatwa was issued by Ayatollah Khomeini shortly before he died. It can only be rescinded by the man who issued it or a higher authority so in practice it will hold indefinitely.

“Almost every time that the current supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, gives a sermon he mentions Salman Rushdie in these terms and denounces him as a man who has insulted the name of the Prophet and who can therefore be killed. It’s just the standard rhetoric.

Rest easy, Salman. It's just standard rhetoric.

“The crucial thing is that the fatwa is no longer endorsed by the Iranian Government because before 1998 what we had was effectively a state-sponsored death sentence.”
Ayatollah Khamenei said in his message: “They talk about respect towards all religions, but they support such a mahdour al-damm mortad as Salman Rushdie.” In Sharia, or Islamic law, mortad is a reference to someone who has committed apostasy by leaving Islam while mahdour al-damm is a term applying to someone whose blood may be shed with impunity.

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11 Comments

ted | January 20, 2005 11:10 AM

Suggestion for Salman Rushdie: Issue a public statement to Khamenei saying something to the effect of:

"I Fartwa in your general direction...."

kj | January 20, 2005 12:09 PM

Q: "Why is the British government cleaning up messes made by Khamenei?"

A: $$$$ (actually, ££££.)

JTF | January 20, 2005 12:21 PM

There is a formal contradiction here that no one seems to care about: the fatwa cannot be rescinded and, hence, is endorsed by legitimate religious authorities, and the Islamic Republic of Iran formally endorses and supports legitimate religious authorites; but the Islamic Republic of Iran does not support the fatwa.

If the government truly does not support the fatwa then it must denounce it as false, which would entail denouncing the religious authority of Ayatollah Khomeini. But this is impossible.

This is taqiyya on the level of international politics and it aims at the very heart of free expression, critical thought, art, and Western intellectual culture that created and sustains our traditions. The British government, all Western media, and all governments, who do not denounce and oppose this violent threat are complicit in not just the Rushdie fatwa, but the promotion of a fascism that has us all in its sights.

Granny Weatherwax | January 20, 2005 12:55 PM

It is interesting that the fatwa cannot be rescinded. In the books of Esther and Daniel two different Persian kings got into more than a bit of bother by making hasty laws they could not later rescind.

ted
Zheir Mother was a 'ampster and zheir father smelt of elderberries. Nice one!

ortho_man | January 20, 2005 12:58 PM

What do those idiot Brits mean, >?!?!?

The Supreme Leader of Iran, Khamenei, has issued it. Has the notion of theocracy ever crossed their minds...Is Prince Harry developing their foreign policy?

Mike | January 20, 2005 1:28 PM

Check out this photo gallery from the Student Movement Coordination Committee for Democracy in Iran - it's definitely worth a bookmark:

http://www.daneshjoo.org/article/publish/cat_photogallery.shtml

ala-sux | January 20, 2005 1:56 PM

It was last week that Indonesia and world Islamic clerics blame the tsunami on the infidels and Zionists that used a nuclear bomb
to cause it and kill Muslims.
At that time I predicted that the suppressed information and access to Banda Acen was to allow the death count to rise so they could
recruit jihadists to avenge the Muslim deaths.
I have heard Canadian Muslims declare the Tsunami was from Allah and was a warning to return to Islam and submit to sharia,the child deaths were explained away as Martyr's for Allah's cause.

For a death-cult that abhors the west they
sure don't mind use bailing them out financially,just watch as see how quickly the aid workers start getting murdered once things settle down.
I read that 80 percent of the Banda's humanitarian aid is being done by the U.S. military choppers and airplanes,these weasels are waiting for us to get comfortible before they strike,much like piranna that save their energy by earning the trust of their dinner and then bite off the tail to reduce the escape factor,and then behead the fish just behind the gills and swim away to find another Sucker.

no islam - know peace

profitsbeard | January 20, 2005 4:10 PM

What exactly WAS Salman Rushdie's heinous crime?

Telling the world that Mohammad changed his mind and erased certain 'illuminations from Allah' that he later called inspired by Satan. ("Satanic Verses".)

Because this leaves open the idea:

"Well, if he was duped once, HOW do we know that he was not COMPLETELY duped?"

You're not allowed to say that about the prophet.

The suckers (er...faithful) might start to think for themselves.
("Hey, wait a minute, you mean 'the Perfect Muslim Man' wasn't perfect?!")

A fatwa against the functioning brain seems to be the only solution that the mullahs and ayatollahs can try next.

Something like:

"Ayatollah Khameini issued a decree today against the human mind... and anyone caught demonstrating anything recognizable as intelligence must die!"

ala-sux | January 20, 2005 4:35 PM

Here's a example of Muslim doublespeak:

During Easter a local Islamic Tv show talk about how Jesus was a Muslim and only one of Allahs Prophets,the show said that Christians are fooled into believing him to be the messiah because a look alike was replaced on the Cross
to appease the Jews and his appearance to people later on wasn't from the reserection,but from ignorance about how someone can survive being tortured and appear to be dead from a slow pulse.
The Muslim claimed the whole theory and proof of the miracles couldn't have happened,but later in the show he claimed Muhammed's body doesn't exist
on Earth because when he died Allah raised him and he ascended to heaven.

So Muhammed had no witnesses of his rise to the heavens,but Jesus was a hoax because all the witnesses that saw him die and then saw him later on and also do miracles,were ignorant fools duped by a "Rent-a-Jesus" stand-in that replaced him to make the Jews happy that he was seen as being killed.

I'll put my money on Jesus and not a misognyistic pedophile that was struck dead for his sins and had no witnesses of his favour with God.That fake Jesus also warned of a "False" prophet that would fool the people and cite previous word from God to appear to speak for God,this Prophet would promise peace and love but only bring war and suffering.
Sound familiar,Islam is a retro-active faith that used historical facts to create a perception
of being from the Father,the Quran uses the threat of death for questioning any of the lies and death for those that see the truth and try to leave Islam.

ted | January 20, 2005 6:15 PM

The TV show that Ala-sux reports on has perpetrated a glaring contradiction. Regarding the point made that "Jesus was a Muslim and only one of Allahs Prophets,the show said that Christians are fooled into believing him to be the messiah"; one might begin to wonder how Jesus could possibly fit this description.

To quote Jesus Christ himself, "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.... And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. If ye love me, keep my commandments." John 14:1,13-15. And he says, "If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me." John 8:42.

It would appear that Jesus is proclaiming himself Messiah and the equivalent of God the Father -- thus, Jesus is God.

Now a quote from Muhammed: "They are surely infidels who say; 'God is the Christ, the Messiah, the son of Mary.'" Quran 5:72.

Maybe it's just me, but it seems that the Quran is labeling Jesus Christ an infidel due to Jesus' own proclamations. How can a Muslim -- much less a prophet of Allah -- contradict what Muhammed the prophet has to say and not then be considered an infidel? Something doesn't add up here.

Jesus also says, "for the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God. I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father." John 16:27-28.

So, if Jesus is as the Muslims claim he is, then he is also a liar. He tells us if we love him to keep his commandments. Yet, if he is lying, then he is not keeping the 9th commandment. How could Christians follow a man that does not keep his own commandments and lied about his mission -- since he is a Muslim after all? Why would Muslims want to claim a man like this anyway?

Oh right. I forgot. Taqiyyah! Kitman!

Jesus says, "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do: he was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it." John 8:44.

Go figure.

ala-sux | January 21, 2005 7:52 PM

ted:

To back up my claims you can visit the TV shows website below and use the audio/video
archives to see and hear for yourself,the show runs on Saturday nights and ironically it's a
multifaith family based network that has a license
under the banner of promoting diverse religious views of tolerance.

The host loves to explain away the oppression and violence in the Quran as taken out of context
because some things we acceptible during that period.
http://www.quranspeaks.com/main/

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