Nobody special, of no influence or connection to "real" Islam whatsoever.
You know, he just happens to be the spiritual and supreme leader of an ENTIRE COUNTRY, the most perfect version of a pure Islamic State in the world.
He doesn't really MEAN what he says, of course.
A FATWA against the author Salman Rushdie was reaffirmed by Iran’s spiritual leader last night in a message to Muslim pilgrims.And the civilized world sticks its head in the sand:
British officials anxiously played down comments after Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, told Muslims making the annual pilgrimage to Mecca that Rushdie was an apostate whose killing would be authorised by Islam, according to the Iranian media.
However, senior British officials swiftly made plain last night that the Iranian Government, which had disassociated itself from the fatwa in 1998, had not changed its position. They pointed out that because the fatwa was issued in February 1989 by Iran’s revolutionary founder and Khamenei’s predecessor, Ayatollah Khomeini, who had since died, it would always remain in existence.Oh, well that explains it! The MORE he says it, the less he means it. I see.
They insisted that the move did not presage a further deterioration in the already tense relations with Iran over its nuclear programme. “This should not be taken as a new development,” one said.
"Almost every time that the current supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, gives a sermon he mentions Salman Rushdie in these terms and denounces him as a man who has insulted the name of the Prophet and who can therefore be killed. It’s just the standard rhetoric."
Ayatollah Khamenei said in his message: “They talk about respect towards all religions, but they support such a mahdour al-damm mortad as Salman Rushdie.” In Sharia, or Islamic law, mortad is a reference to someone who has committed apostasy by leaving Islam while mahdour al-damm is a term applying to someone whose blood may be shed with impunity.Funny they should have a word for that. And notice how "respect" for Islam equates to supporting their wishes to shed blood with impunity.
The author of this piece goes on to helpfully explain:
When speaking, as he was in this case, in his capacity as a spiritual leader — rather than a leader in matters of state — Ayatollah Khamenei’s tone tends to be rhetorical.Talk about self-deluded splitting of hairs and wishful thinking!
Analysts in Iran played down the remark, suspecting that Ayatollah Khamenei was referring to the fatwa against Rushdie in a historical context and was not calling for it to be implemented now. “This isn’t shocking — it’s nothing new,” one Tehran-based analyst said.What kind of analysis is THAT? It has to be "new" to be shocking? It's no longer shocking in and of itself???
In 1998 Kamal Kharazi, the Iranian Foreign Minister, promised his British counterpart, Robin Cook, that Iran would do nothing to implement the fatwa, despite a $2.8 million bounty placed on Rushdie’s head by a foundation in Iran.I'm sorry, but that doesn't pass the laugh test. Then why has he been in hiding for 16 years?
Where is the Left to denounce this disgusting destruction of a life, the true suppression of free speech, this death-stroke at civilized modern behavior?
No, instead we have Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon and their mornonic ilk talking about a "chill wind" and how Bush is taking away their rights simply because they get criticism for saying ridiculous things or a private group withdraws its invitation to them to speak at an event.
What useless people.
