Rushdie Must Die

Iran's Revolutionary Guards have announced that the death fatwa placed on Salman Rushdie's head is still in effect. Rushdie was sentenced to die in 1989 by Shiite fruitcake Ayatollah Khomeini for writing "The Satanic Verses," which was declared blasphemous. The Revolutionary Guards say only Khomeini can retract the fatwa. Fortunately for mankind but unfortunately for Rushdie, Khomeini kicked the bucket shortly after putting the hit out on Rushdie.

Say the Revolutionary Guards, "The day will come when they will punish the apostate Rushdie for his scandalous acts and insults against the Koran and the Prophet (Mohammed)."

Khomeini's successor as Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, agrees that Rushdie must die: "They talk of respect for all religions but they support an apostate worthy of death like Rushdie." The Khordad Foundation, an Islamic charity, says that the $2.8m bounty they put up for Rushdie's death remains ready to be awarded.

However, in another account, Salman Rushdie said he hadn't had any security for the last seven years. This may be an example of the disconnect between the rhetoric of the Islamic nutcases who run Iran and the ordinary Iranians who have grown contemptuous of their leaders and lack enthusiasm for death threats which keep them cut off from Western civilization.

Still, one is struck by the bloodthirsty face Islamic clerics of all stripes show the public from every Middle Eastern country.