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Iranian media goes ballistic over Rushdie's visa

Iranian newspapers today denounced India's decision to grant a visa to Salman Rushdie, with one paper suggesting that the controversial writer could be killed by Indian Muslims.

"If the visit of this most-hated, blasphemous and disgraceful person takes place, there is every possibility that it will be his last visit abroad,'' said the hard-line Teheran Times.

"Providence may have destined this shameless character to meet his nemesis where he was born,'' the English-language paper said.

Rushdie, who was born in India, spent nearly a decade in hiding in England after Iran's late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini called for his death in 1989, saying his book The Satanic Verses had insulted Islam.

Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi in September distanced his government from the death decree, making Rushdie feel freer to travel. But since then, Iranian hard-liners have stressed that the religious order cannot be lifted.

India has confirmed that it has granted a visa to Rushdie, who now lives in Britain, but his travel plans remain unknown.

The more moderate Iran News said Muslims in India and in other parts of the world regarded the Indian government's decision to grant a visa to Rushdie as "a stab in the back of Muslims".

UNI

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