Rushdie Friends Ask World Leaders for Help

On the second anniversary of a death sentence issued against Salman Rushdie for alleged blasphemy against Islam, friends of the writer urged world leaders Thursday to repudiate the renewal of the edict by Iranian ministers.

The International Committee for the Defense of Salman Rushdie and His Publishers condemned what it said was public acquiescence on the plight of Rushdie.

“This shift has become more marked in the past year, and it now appears that the burden of guilt is perceived as resting firmly with Rushdie himself rather than those who issued the death threat,” a statement from the committee said.

Rushdie, 43, has tried in the past year to mollify hostility toward him within the Islamic world. He has met with moderate Muslim leaders, assuring them that he did not intend to insult their religion in his novel “The Satanic Verses.” On Christmas Eve, Rushdie said he accepted the tenets of Islam.

The committee said the edict, known as a fatwa, issued by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini on Feb. 14, 1989, had been renewed many times by ministers of the Iranian government. Khomeini has since died, but Rushdie has remained in hiding, emerging occasionally for interviews and once to sign copies of his new children’s book.

His supporters called on world leaders, particularly those in Britain, where Rushdie is a citizen, and others in positions of influence to condemn the death threats against Rushdie and to take steps to ensure that the edict is withdrawn.

A senior Iranian cleric insisted Thursday that the edict is irrevocable, the Islamic Republic News Agency reported.