Iran group says thousands ready for suicide raids

By Reuters

TEHRAN - Thousands of Iranians have signed up for suicide attacks on Israel, U.S.-led forces in Iraq and British author Salman Rushdie, a recruiting group said on Saturday.

Shi'ite Iran has strongly condemned the occupation of Iraq and voiced its outrage at damage to shrines in the holy cities of Najaf and Kerbala.

The father of Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, condemned Rushdie to death in 1989 for alleged blasphemy in his novel "The Satanic Verses."

"Some 10,000 people have registered their names to carry out martyrdom operations on our defined targets," said Mohammad Ali Samadi, a spokesman for the Committee for the Commemoration of Martyrs of the Global Islamic Campaign.

But he said the group would need the green light from Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to launch the attacks.

The independent group said it started to register Iranian men and women prepared to carry out the attacks after Friday prayers last week and sent forms to religious universities.

"Our targets are mainly the occupying American and British forces in the holy Iraqi cities, all the Zionists in Palestine, and Salman Rushdie," he said.

"It is not our fault that the Zionists have brought their wives and children to the occupied territories and have turned them into shields for themselves," he added, when asked about the killing of civilians.

"Salman Rushdie is the only non-military target for us, because we believe his attack against Islam was much worse that a military assault," the spokesman said.
Ha'aretz

I feel sorry for poor Salman Rushdie. Who's gonna stick up for him? He dont have an army of his own. Reminds of what someone on this board said once, ' I wish we had fatwas!'.

Also, a thought occurred to me. Considering a Fatwa was issued against Rushdie, and probably others who are thought to blasphemous by Muslims, how come whilst all the Muslim leaders of the world tell us that Osama bin Laden is not a real Muslim; a Fatwa hasn't been issued against him, or al-Qaeda? Or any other Islamic Terrorists?

Uhem (makes coughing sound), but doesn't that just tell us something? Either Fatwas mean nothing, or 'MODERATE' MUSLIMS ARE LYING TO US! No matter how much your average European/American Muslim would like to delude him/herself, those who follow and lead their Religion, DO believe the actions of Islamofacists to be permissable, and not an 'abuse' or a 'bastardisation' of Islam.