Secretary of State Antony Blinken singled out the Iranian government for criticism after the stabbing of novelist Salman Rushdie last week before a lecture in New York.
In a statement released Sunday, Blinken expressed solidarity with Rushdie, 75, praising his work. He stressed the U.S. commitment to the rights of free speech and expression while condemning the government of Iran, which has celebrated the attack.
“While law enforcement officials continue to investigate the attack, I am reminded of the pernicious forces that seek to undermine these rights, including through hate speech and incitement to violence,” he said. “Specifically, Iranian state institutions have incited violence against Rushdie for generations, and state-affiliated media recently gloated about the attempt on his life. This is despicable.”
‘LIKE A SORT OF BAD PRANK’: MAN ON STAGE WITH SALMAN RUSHDIE TELLS OF HORRIFIC ATTACK
Iran’s ayatollah famously issued a fatwa against Rushdie in 1989 over the author’s The Satanic Verses, a work considered blasphemous to many Muslims. The fatwa called upon all Muslims to kill the author or support those who could, even offering a multimillion-dollar reward for anyone who pulled it off.
Iranian officials and media celebrated the attack.
“Bravo to this courageous and duty-conscious man who attacked the apostate and depraved Salman Rushdie in New York,” the conservative Tehran-based newspaper Kayhan wrote. “Let us kiss the hands of the one who tore the neck of the enemy of God with a knife.”
“I won’t be shedding tears for a writer who spouts endless hatred & contempt for Muslims & Islam. A pawn of empire who poses as a Postcolonial novelist,” tweeted an official Iranian adviser to the Vienna nuclear deal talks.
I won’t be shedding tears for a writer who spouts endless hatred & contempt for Muslims & Islam. A pawn of empire who poses as a Postcolonial novelist.
But, isn’t it odd that as we near a potential nuclear deal, the US makes claims about a hit on Bolton… and then this happens? pic.twitter.com/zFu9qhd3Qq
— Seyed Mohammad Marandi (@s_m_marandi) August 12, 2022
Despite its celebrations, Iran sought to dodge blame over the attack, pointing at Rushdie instead and criticizing the West’s response.
“We, in the incident of the attack on Salman Rushdie in the US, do not consider that anyone deserves blame and accusations except him and his supporters,” said Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani, according to the New York Post.
He added that the West, “condemning the actions of the attacker and in return glorifying the actions of the insulter to Islamic beliefs is a contradictory attitude.” Iran has no further information on the attack aside from what Western media have reported, he said.
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Rushdie suffered grave injuries in the attack, his agent Andrew Wylie said, including a damaged liver, the severing of nerves in his arm, and the possible loss of his eye. Nevertheless, he is now off a ventilator, and “his condition is headed in the right direction,” the agent added on Sunday.
His attacker, New Jersey resident Hadi Matar, is being held without bail. He has pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted murder and assault.
