Iranians expressed mixed reactions to the stabbing of author Salman Rushdie, as the Iranian government remained quiet despite a decades-old fatwa against the writer calling for his death.
Some expressed concern that their country — already isolated from the international community after decades of western sanctions due to Tehran's support for terror groups and its nuclear programme, could be further ostracised.
But speaking to the Associated Press on Saturday, resident Bahmani said news of the attack made him happy.
“I heard the news from TV and I was so glad because the insult Salman Rushdie made against our prophet, and the fatwa Imam [Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini] issued against him finally worked,” he said.
Rushdie’s attacker has been identified as US national Hadi Matar, who originally comes from Lebanon.
It is unclear yet as to whether the attacker, who was born in the US, was directly influenced by the Iranian fatwa.
Rushdie’s 1988 book The Satanic Verses drew criticism for what some viewed as a blasphemous interpretation of the Prophet Mohammed’s life. Controversy still surrounds the book 34 years after its publication.
“I don’t know Salman Rushdie, but I am happy to hear that he was attacked, since he insulted Islam,” said Reza Amiri, 27, a deliveryman. “This is the fate for anybody who insults sanctities.”
But the disdain for Mr Rushdie was not unanimous. Some Iranians felt the incident would further distance their country from the international community.
Iran is currently awaiting the resumption of a 2015 nuclear agreement, currently in draft form.
The new deal would allow UN inspectors to visit atomic research sites in exchange for the lifting of trade sanctions, which have hindered the country's economic progress for decades, although they were briefly lifted under the Obama administration.
After the attempt on Mr Rushdie's life, some US politicians have argued that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's backing of the fatwa is proof that no new deal should go ahead.
The final draft of the agreement must be signed off by President Joe Biden and Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi.
“Iran has offered a bounty to anyone who assassinates Salman Rushdie. Today he was stabbed in America. Why is Biden still negotiating a 'deal' with these terrorists in Tehran?” tweeted US Senator and former Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio.
Tom Cotton, a Republican US Senator for Arkansas wrote on Twitter that Mr Rushdie's attempted killing was part of a years-long assassination campaign on US soil.
“We know they’re trying to assassinate American officials today. Biden needs to immediately end negotiations with this terrorist regime,” he said.
But some Iranians believed the attempted murder was a plot by the West.
“I feel those who did it are trying to isolate Iran,” said Mahshid Barati, 39, a geography teacher. “This will negatively affect relations with many — even Russia and China.”
Reactions from state-linked media praising Mr Rushdie's attacker
While fatwas can be revised or revoked, Mr Khamenei, who became supreme leader after Khomeini's death, has never done so.
“The decision made about Salman Rushdie is still valid,” he said in 1989. “As I have already said, this is a bullet for which there is a target. It has been shot. It will one day sooner or later hit the target.”
As recently as February 2017, Mr Khamenei said the fatwa was still in effect.
“The decree is as Imam Khomeini issued,” he said.
Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
THURSDAY'S ORDER OF PLAY
Centre Court
Starting at 10am:
Lucrezia Stefanini v Elena Rybakina (6)
Aryna Sabalenka (4) v Polona Hercog
Sofia Kenin (1) v Zhaoxuan Yan
Kristina Mladenovic v Garbine Muguruza (5)
Sorana Cirstea v Karolina Pliskova (3)
Jessica Pegula v Elina Svitolina (2)
Court 1
Starting at 10am:
Sara Sorribes Tormo v Nadia Podoroska
Marketa Vondrousova v Su-Wei Hsieh
Elise Mertens (7) v Alize Cornet
Tamara Zidansek v Jennifer Brady (11)
Heather Watson v Jodie Burrage
Vera Zvonareva v Amandine Hesse
Court 2
Starting at 10am:
Arantxa Rus v Xiyu Wang
Maria Kostyuk v Lucie Hradecka
Karolina Muchova v Danka Kovinic
Cori Gauff v Ulrikke Eikeri
Mona Barthel v Anastasia Gasanova
Court 3
Starting at 10am:
Kateryna Bondarenko v Yafan Wang
Aliaksandra Sasnovich v Anna Bondar
Bianca Turati v Yaroslava Shvedova
'The Predator'
Dir: Shane Black
Starring: Olivia Munn, Boyd Holbrook, Keegan-Michael Key
Two and a half stars
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Sri Lanka's T20I squad
Thisara Perera (captain), Dilshan Munaweera, Danushka Gunathilaka, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Ashan Priyanjan, Mahela Udawatte, Dasun Shanaka, Sachith Pathirana, Vikum Sanjaya, Lahiru Gamage, Seekkuge Prasanna, Vishwa Fernando, Isuru Udana, Jeffrey Vandersay and Chathuranga de Silva.
Polarised public
31% in UK say BBC is biased to left-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is biased to right-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is not biased at all
Source: YouGov
Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
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FIXTURES
Thu Mar 15 – West Indies v Afghanistan, UAE v Scotland
Fri Mar 16 – Ireland v Zimbabwe
Sun Mar 18 – Ireland v Scotland
Mon Mar 19 – West Indies v Zimbabwe
Tue Mar 20 – UAE v Afghanistan
Wed Mar 21 – West Indies v Scotland
Thu Mar 22 – UAE v Zimbabwe
Fri Mar 23 – Ireland v Afghanistan
The top two teams qualify for the World Cup
Classification matches
The top-placed side out of Papua New Guinea, Hong Kong or Nepal will be granted one-day international status. UAE and Scotland have already won ODI status, having qualified for the Super Six.
Thu Mar 15 – Netherlands v Hong Kong, PNG v Nepal
Sat Mar 17 – 7th-8th place playoff, 9th-10th place playoff
