Salman Rushdie is on the mend after being stabbed. The motive of his alleged attacker is still unclear. The Iranian leadership denies any connection to the crime.
After the attack on writer Salman Rushdie, Iran has denied any involvement. “There is no connection between Iran and the perpetrator,” said foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani, as reported by the Iranian news agency Isna.
Rushdie’s work not only offended Iran, but Muslims worldwide, Kanaani said. “Rushdie himself is responsible for the attack.”
A spokesman for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, on the other hand, described Tehran’s blame game as “abstruse”. The attack on Rushdie was an attack on freedom of speech. He added: “The British Government stands behind him and his family and for freedom of speech around the world.” Rushdie, meanwhile, was on the mend.
The British-Indian author was attacked by a man at an event in western New York State on Friday and has since been hospitalized for serious stab wounds. Rushdie has been persecuted by religious fanatics for decades, but police have not yet confirmed a motive for the attack.
Iranian leadership under criticism
In addition to the suspected perpetrator Hadi Matar, the Iranian leadership is increasingly coming under international criticism. Because of Rushdie’s work “The Satanic Verses” from 1988, the Iranian revolutionary leader at the time, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, called for the author to be killed. He accused Rushdie of insulting Islam, the Prophet and the Koran in his novel.
Among other things, the book features a character who resembles the Prophet Mohammed. The criticism is that Rushdie questioned the divine origin of the Koran. The death sentence was followed by Rushdie’s dramatic escape and years of hiding. He has lived in New York for more than 20 years.
Contact with the Iranian Revolutionary Guards?
Internet portal Vice News reported on Sunday, citing intelligence sources from Europe and the Middle East, that Matar had been in contact with the Iranian Revolutionary Guards on social media. However, there is no evidence that Iran was involved in organizing or carrying out the attack.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken criticized Iran in a statement on Sunday. “Iranian state entities in particular have incited violence against Rushdie for generations, and state media have recently gloated over the attack on his life,” it said. This is “despicable”. The US and its partners confronted such threats. British prime ministerial candidate Rishi Sunak has called for sanctions on Iran.
Defiant sense of humor is intact
Meanwhile, Rushdie was on the mend despite serious injuries, according to information from those around him. “Despite his serious and life-changing injuries, his usual fierce and defiant sense of humor remains intact,” his son Zafar Rushdie wrote in a statement on Twitter on Sunday. The 75-year-old is no longer connected to a ventilator and an additional oxygen supply. He was also able to speak a few words.
The alleged perpetrator Matar has remained silent so far and had his public defender declare him “not guilty”. He was charged with attempted second-degree murder and assault with a deadly weapon and intent to cause bodily harm, police said. Second-degree murder is a separate offense in the US legal system for the death of a human being. For this, the accused in the state of New York can be sentenced to years in prison.
Get well wishes from all over the world
Celebrities and politicians around the world had condemned the attack with clear words and wished Rushdie a speedy recovery. US President Joe Biden praised Rushdie for not being intimidated and for “essential, universal values” such as truth, courage and resilience.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) said: “Anyone who justifies this assassination attempt is spreading nothing but hatred and extremism. Anyone who believes in peaceful coexistence must oppose this clearly and consistently.” Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) wrote on Twitter: “What a heinous act!”. (dpa)