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Only Salman Rushdie and his own supporters are to blame for the famed author being brutally stabbed at a public appearance in New York state, according to an Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson.
Nasser Kanaani denied Iran had any responsibility for the attack on Friday, in which Rushdie, 75, was stabbed 12 times in front of a horrified audience.
“We, in the incident of the attack on Salman Rushdie in the US, do not consider that anyone deserves blame and accusations except him and his supporters,” Kanaani told reporters at a press briefing on Monday. “Nobody has right to accuse Iran in this regard.”
“Salman Rushdie exposed himself to popular outrage by insulting Islamic sanctities and crossing the red lines of 1.5 billion Muslims,” Kanaani said.
“During the attack on Salman Rushdie, we do not consider anyone other than himself and his supporters worthy of reproach, reproach and condemnation…No one has the right to accuse Iran in this regard.”
According to Kanaani, freedom of speech does not justify Rushdie’s insults upon religion in his writing, adding that Iran has no other information about Rushdie’s assailant except what has appeared in media.
Rushdie suffered a damaged liver and severed nerves in an arm and an eye, his agent said. He is likely to lose the injured eye but is expected to survive the attack.
His assailant, 24-year-old Hadi Matar, has pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from the attack through his lawyer.
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