Iran Calls Rushdie Speech at Frankfurt “Anti-Cultural”

This has been organised by the Frankfurt book fair and crosses one of our political system’s red lines. We consider this move as anti-cultural,” [Seyed Abbas Salehi, deputy minister for culture and Islamic guidance] said, according to local news agencies. “Imam Khomeini’s fatwa on this issue is reflective of our religion and it will never fade away. We urge organisers to cancel his address.

Salman Rushdie has been invited to give the keynote address at next week’s Frankfurt Book Fair, causing Iran to threaten a boycott of the event. The author’s relationship with the Muslim world has been fraught since the publication of his book The Satanic Verses and Iran’s declaration of a fatwa against him in 1989.

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Kelly Lynn Thomas reads, writes, and sometimes sews in Pittsburgh, PA. Her creative work has appeared in Sou’wester, Thin Air Magazine, Heavy Feather Review, metazen, and others, and she received her MFA in Creative Writing from Chatham University. She is hopelessly obsessed with Star Wars and can always be found with a large mug of tea. She also runs the very small Wild Age Press. Read more at kellylynnthomas.com.

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