The Retraction of the Fatwa by Muslim Scholars

Conference, the initial statement was corrected, and a unanimous opposite statement was released, rejecting Ayatollah Khomeini’s fatwa (refer to page 49 of the book under review). 3. Dr. Abdullah Omar Nasseef, a prominent Muslim scholar from Saudi Arabia, initially supported the fatwa issued by Ayatollah Khomeini, which called for Muslims to kill Salman Rushdie. However, he later reconsidered his extremist stance. In early 1993, Dr. Abdullah Omar Naseef visited Rome, Italy, where he met with Pope John Paul II. During his visit, he granted an interview to World News Link, a global agency. In that interview, one of the questions posed to him was regarding his opinion on the death penalty imposed on Salman Rushdie by Iran’s religious leaders. His response, as reported, was as follows: “Q. What is your opinion on the death penalty imposed on the British author Salman Rushdie by Iran’s religious leaders? A. Some people, in emotion, pass these resolutions. I think that today, we must promote human rights. The death penalty should be only for criminals who commit the crime of killing people. Otherwise, human rights should be given to everybody.” (Newstime, Hyderabad, 17 February 1993) 4. In a similar vein, the Iranian leaders initially proclaimed the death sentence for Salman Rushdie with much fanfare. However, due to the global backlash against the fatwa, they could not take any practical steps to execute it. Subsequently,