Tensions rise at Columbia after deadline to clear encampment
Iran denies involvement in Rushdie attack, says he brought it on himself
“We do not blame, or recognize worthy of condemnation, anyone except himself and his supporters,” Nasser Kanaani, spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, said of the stabbing, which has been condemned by world leaders and rocked the literary world.
Kanaani said in a briefing to reporters that through his writing, the 75-year-old Rushdie had insulted “the holiness of Islam” and crossed “the red lines of more than one and a half billion Muslims.”
“Many countries and specifically the U.S. talk about the freedom of speech in this regard. Freedom of speech cannot be used as an excuse to justify insulting holy religions,” Kanaani said.
After publication of “The Satanic Verses,” Rushdie contended with death threats and spent almost a decade in hiding, but in recent years, he has attended events in public without security guards.
The book, which makes a number of references — some veiled, some not — to Muhammad, Islam and the Quran, was considered blasphemous by some Muslims, including Iran’s late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. In 1989, Khomeini denounced “The Satanic Verses” and issued a fatwa, or religious directive, against the Indian-born British American novelist — calling for his death.
The Iranian government distanced itself from the fatwa in 1998, and the British government restored diplomatic relations with the country.
On Sunday, Rushdie’s agent, Andrew Wylie, said the novelist had been removed from a ventilator and that, though the process would be lengthy, “the road to recovery has begun.”
Hadi Matar, a 24-year-old New Jersey man, was taken into custody by police at the scene Friday. He was arraigned on Saturday and charged with attempted murder and assault.
“We do not have any information about the perpetrator and have been informed about the incident through American media,” Kanaani said Monday.
Ron Charles in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report.