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retained much of their original character and diverse THE RUSHDIE FATWA
political ideologies, and the FMLN’s attempts to re-
create itself as a political party were adversely affected One of the most famous such “death” fatwas in modern
by a report issued by a U.N. Truth Commission, which times was the 1989 decree issued by the Ayatollah
called for some of its top leaders to be banned from Ruhollah Khomeini, then leader of the Islamic
political office. By 1997, however, the FMLN has Republic of Iran, calling for the death of British writer
regrouped and doubled its representation in Parliament Salman Rushdie. The fatwa declared that Rushdie
in that year’s elections. should be executed for having insulted Islam in his
novel The Satanic Verses, published in late 1988. It also
See also PEOPLE’S REVOLUTIONARY ARMY called for the death of any editor or publisher involved
in publishing the novel. The fatwa read, in full:
Further Reading
The author of The Satanic Verses, a text written, edited,
McClintock, Cynthia. Revolutionary Movements in Latin
and published against Islam, against the Prophet of
America: El Salvador’s FMLN and Peru’s Shining Path.
Islam, and against the Koran, along with all the editors
Washington, DC: United States Institute of Peace Press,
and publishers aware of its contents, are condemned to
1998.
capital punishment. I call on all valiant Muslims wher-
Menzel, Sewall H. Bullets Versus Ballots: Political Violence
ever they may be in the world to execute this sentence
and Revolutionary War in El Salvador, 1979-1991. New
without delay, so that no one henceforth will dare insult
Brunswick, CT: Transaction Publishers, 1994.
the sacred beliefs of the Muslims.
Waller, J. Michael. The Third Current of Revolution: Inside
the “North American Front” of El Salvador’s Guerrilla A group in Iran offered a reward for anyone, Muslim
War. Lanham, VA: University Press of America;
Washington, DC: Council for Inter-American Security or non-Muslim, who killed Rushdie. Rushdie spent
Foundation, 1991. the following 10 years in hiding and received round-
the-clock police protection.
On February 12, 1997, the Iranian charitable
foundation 15 Khordad announced an increase in
FARC. See REVOLUTIONARY ARMED the reward for the murder of Salman Rushdie to
FORCES OF COLOMBIA. $2.5 million. At the same time, the Iranian govern-
ment gave its assurances that it would not send any-
one to kill Rushdie but also said it cannot ever revoke
the fatwa.
FATAH, AL. See AL FATAH. While Rushdie himself has not been attacked,

some of those associated with Rushdie’s work have
not escaped the fatwa. A Japanese translator of the
FATAH REVOLUTIONARY COUNCIL. book, Hitoshi Igarashi, and an Italian translator, Ettore
Capriolo, were stabbed in their own countries in July
See ABU NIDAL ORGANIZATION. 1991. Igarashi died immediately, and Capriolo was

seriously injured. The Norwegian publisher of the
book, William Nygaard, was shot at three times
outside his home in Oslo in 1993, but survived the
FATWA
attempt on his life. No one was arrested in any of
those cases.
A fatwa is a ruling or decision by an Islamic cleric.
A fatwa can be a ruling on anything, and fatwas are OTHER CONTROVERSIAL FATWAS
issued by Islamic clerics all the time on everyday reli-
gious subjects, such as dress and behavior. Fatwas on In October 1999, a British cleric issued a fatwa call-
everyday subjects rarely receive mention in the non- ing for the death of American playwright Terrence
Islamic press. Much more controversial are fatwas McNally, author of a controversial play that portrays
calling for the death of “heretical” Muslims or Jesus Christ as a homosexual crucified as the King of
non-Muslims. Queers. The shari’a (Islamic law) court of the United