One “great person” was the Iranian Ayatollah Khomenei, for whom he has great respect, Hadi Matar said in an interview from prison. The 24-year-old American is said to have attacked writer Salman Rushdie with a knife last Friday. Khomeni issued a “fatwa” against Rushdie in 1989 – an incitement to murder all Muslims that made Rushdie a hunted man who spent a decade under the protection of British police. He had published The Satanic Verses, a very successful book in which even progressive Muslims would have recognized a blasphemous quality. Even though a new Iranian government declared ten years later that the “fatwa” would not be implemented, it remained in effect and in many people’s minds.
he pleads not guilty
Matar attacked Rushdie with a knife last Friday before his lecture at the Chautauqua Institution in upstate New York. The 75-year-old writer survived with serious injuries. His liver, an arm and an eye were all damaged. Rushdie could lose an eye, it was said. He is now recovering, said Rushdie’s son Zafar and his management.
On Thursday, Matar not only spoke to journalists, but also appeared before the magistrate in Mayville, New York. The defendant pleaded not guilty before his public defender went out of his way to curry some favors. Earlier, a grand jury decided to charge Matar with attempted murder. The alleged killer lives in New Jersey and had no criminal record. He was born in California and is the son of Lebanese immigrants. His former village Jaroun is said to be a stronghold of Hezbollah, according to reports. Matar’s father locked himself in there and currently refuses to speak to reporters, he said.
The mother breaks up with the son
According to American media reports, Matar’s mother has already separated from him. Silvana Fardos described her son as a young man who spent more and more time in his room. After a trip to the Middle East to visit his father, Matar has changed a lot. “I expected him to come back motivated, finish school, graduate and get a job. Instead, he locked himself in the basement,” said the mother of the British “Chron”. Fardos said she felt sorry for Rushdie and his family after the murder. She won’t talk to her son anymore. Killing is fully responsible for his own actions. Fardos said she did not raise her son with extreme religious ideas. Referring to the “fatwa” that Matar may have encouraged the killing, she said: “I don’t know anyone in Iran, my whole family is here.” Islamic radicalization. In many cases where this occurs, traveling to predominantly Islamic countries appears to play an important role.
No bail
In an interview with the New York Post, Matar said he didn’t like Salman Rushdie because he attacked Islam and “our beliefs”. However, he only read a few pages of the “Satanic Verses”. When Matar read about Rushdie’s planned appearance online, he decided to attack the author on the occasion. Matar also said he was surprised Rushdie survived the murder.
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Since then, the magistrate has refused to release the accused on bail pending his hearing. Matar’s attorney argued that the alleged killer had no criminal record, but Judge David Foley disagreed. Matar’s public defender also asked Foley to do something about the journalists’ many attempts to contact him – his client received hundreds of calls from the media. Reporting can lead to a biased jury. The judge did not take any restrictive measures – he just warned those involved in the process to stop giving interviews.