In an interview in the New York Post conducted by video link from the Chautauqua county jail, Hadi Matar said he respected Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini but would not say if he was inspired by a fatwa issued by the former Iranian leader.
Rushdie, 75, was set to deliver a lecture on artistic freedom at the western New York venue on Friday when police say 24-year-old Matar rushed onto the stage and stabbed the Indian-born writer.
Rushdie has lived with a bounty on his head since publication of The Satanic Verses in 1988 prompted Khomeini to issue a fatwa the following year urging Muslims to kill him.
“I respect the ayatollah. I think he’s a great person. That’s as far as I will say about that,” the Post quoted Matar as saying.
“I don’t like him very much,” Matar said of Rushdie. “He’s someone who attacked Islam, he attacked their beliefs, the belief systems,” he told the Post, adding that he had watched YouTube videos of Rushdie.
Matar denied being in contact with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, the Post reported.
Bu hikaye The Guardian dergisinin August 18, 2022 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Bu hikaye The Guardian dergisinin August 18, 2022 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
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