24 February 2016

Iranian media outlets add £430,000 to bounty on Satanic Verses author Salman Rushdie's head

Iranian media outlets have added £430,000 to a multi-million pound bounty for the killing of Sir Salman Rushdie 27 years after a death fatwa was issued over his 'blasphemous' The Satanic Verses.

On February 14, 1989, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the county's Islamic revolution, called on all Muslims to murder the author and anyone involved in the publication of his work.

Iranian hardliners say Khomeini's decree is irrevocable and eternal after his death. And this month 40 state-run news organisations announced they are adding money to the reward.

A wealthy Iranian religious organisation initially offered £1.9million ($2.7 million) reward to anyone carrying out the fatwa and in 2012 it increased the amount to £2.4million ($3.3 million).

Now the semi-official Fars news agency has published a list of news outlets adding to the pot. Fars itself earmarked £21,400 ($30,000). [Daily Mail] Read more