(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - February 14th is the day Founder of the Islamic Revolution Imam Ruhollah Khomeini issued the historic verdict declaring Salman Rushdie an apostate.
Rushdie, a British Indian novelist and writer was sentenced to death by Imam Khomeini for insulting Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in his fourth novel, The Satanic Verses, which was written in 1988 and sparked global protests by Muslims around the world.
Back in 1989 on the same day, Imam Khomeini's fatwa was issued to warn the Islamic governments and followers of other divine religions about a vicious media war started by Western regimes and the Zionists, with the imperialist United States topping the list.
According to sources, have the verdict been applied back then, no one would have dared to repeat blasphemous acts against religious sanctities and characters. Yet, during the past decade, there were repetitive attempts of insulting Islam, be it through burning copies of the Holy Quran, issuing and publishing sacrilegious cartoons and profane movies that offend either Islamic teachings or the person of Prophet Mohammad (pbuh).
Iranian MP, Mustafa Kavakebian, on this issue said "Everyone should know that insulting the sacred concepts of a huge population in the world will see a great punishment by the one who has committed it. Insulting to the sacred concepts is completely different from having freedom of speech. The Western governments by the excuse of speech freedom, shouldn't oppose Imam's fatwa. Because insulting the feelings of the majority of world's population is a crime against humanity."
Quoted by Mehr news on the anniversary of the painful event, the MP further pointed out "This verdict prevented from a huge number of other insults and the vast publication of this book throughout the world. Though today by the existence of some cartoons and Quran burnings, these kind of insults haven't finished yet, but we don't know that if Imam's fatwa didn't happen how many insults the western companies had done until now. Imam Khomeini's verdict prevented the imperialists from their ominous goals."
Explaining Salman Rushdie's reason and those who supported the publication of the Satanic Verses, Kavakebian went on to say that "Imperialism knows Islam as an obstacle for their plunder and loot throughout other nations for their own benefits and therefor by their financial, political and commercial supports they try to pave the way for insults to Islam and make the preparations for demolishing Islam."
On the same note, Alaeddin Boroujerdi, Chairman for the Committee for Foreign Policy and National Security of the Iranian parliament said that the anniversary of the verdict that "The Satanic Verses is a circle of chain actions against the sacred issues of Muslims for making doubts and fighting against Islam and its prophets."
Rushdie's incident was the first but not the last. Many other incidents followed, insulting Islam and the Prophet (pbuh) under the pretext of freedom of speech.
Meanwhile, the world's first and foremost so-called democracy, the US, is responsible in first place for the ongoing anti-Islam offenses. If the US had refused to support the first links in the anti-Islam chain - namely, Salman Rushdie, the Danish cartoonist and Quran-burning American pastors would not have dared to repeat such unforgiveable sin.
Who and what is behind such acts? Looking into this trend of evil, as manifested in recent years in atrocious operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, Palestine, Lebanon and Pakistan, also agitating the feelings of the region's peoples and throwing the seeds of strife among Muslims and Christians leaves no doubt that it is designed and masterminded by heads of world imperialism and Zionist think tanks which have the highest degree of influence in the government, the military and security agencies of the United States as well as Britain and some other European countries.
24 years on the Rushdie book, its author still awaits the death sentence he should have received back then for desecrating and blaspheming Islam; all in the name of speech freedom.
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Rushdie, a British Indian novelist and writer was sentenced to death by Imam Khomeini for insulting Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in his fourth novel, The Satanic Verses, which was written in 1988 and sparked global protests by Muslims around the world.
Back in 1989 on the same day, Imam Khomeini's fatwa was issued to warn the Islamic governments and followers of other divine religions about a vicious media war started by Western regimes and the Zionists, with the imperialist United States topping the list.
According to sources, have the verdict been applied back then, no one would have dared to repeat blasphemous acts against religious sanctities and characters. Yet, during the past decade, there were repetitive attempts of insulting Islam, be it through burning copies of the Holy Quran, issuing and publishing sacrilegious cartoons and profane movies that offend either Islamic teachings or the person of Prophet Mohammad (pbuh).
Iranian MP, Mustafa Kavakebian, on this issue said "Everyone should know that insulting the sacred concepts of a huge population in the world will see a great punishment by the one who has committed it. Insulting to the sacred concepts is completely different from having freedom of speech. The Western governments by the excuse of speech freedom, shouldn't oppose Imam's fatwa. Because insulting the feelings of the majority of world's population is a crime against humanity."
Quoted by Mehr news on the anniversary of the painful event, the MP further pointed out "This verdict prevented from a huge number of other insults and the vast publication of this book throughout the world. Though today by the existence of some cartoons and Quran burnings, these kind of insults haven't finished yet, but we don't know that if Imam's fatwa didn't happen how many insults the western companies had done until now. Imam Khomeini's verdict prevented the imperialists from their ominous goals."
Explaining Salman Rushdie's reason and those who supported the publication of the Satanic Verses, Kavakebian went on to say that "Imperialism knows Islam as an obstacle for their plunder and loot throughout other nations for their own benefits and therefor by their financial, political and commercial supports they try to pave the way for insults to Islam and make the preparations for demolishing Islam."
On the same note, Alaeddin Boroujerdi, Chairman for the Committee for Foreign Policy and National Security of the Iranian parliament said that the anniversary of the verdict that "The Satanic Verses is a circle of chain actions against the sacred issues of Muslims for making doubts and fighting against Islam and its prophets."
Rushdie's incident was the first but not the last. Many other incidents followed, insulting Islam and the Prophet (pbuh) under the pretext of freedom of speech.
Meanwhile, the world's first and foremost so-called democracy, the US, is responsible in first place for the ongoing anti-Islam offenses. If the US had refused to support the first links in the anti-Islam chain - namely, Salman Rushdie, the Danish cartoonist and Quran-burning American pastors would not have dared to repeat such unforgiveable sin.
Who and what is behind such acts? Looking into this trend of evil, as manifested in recent years in atrocious operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, Palestine, Lebanon and Pakistan, also agitating the feelings of the region's peoples and throwing the seeds of strife among Muslims and Christians leaves no doubt that it is designed and masterminded by heads of world imperialism and Zionist think tanks which have the highest degree of influence in the government, the military and security agencies of the United States as well as Britain and some other European countries.
24 years on the Rushdie book, its author still awaits the death sentence he should have received back then for desecrating and blaspheming Islam; all in the name of speech freedom.
/129