A foundation in Iran has offered to give free farmland to the man accused of carrying out a horrific stabbing attack on novelist Salman Rushdie, according to Iranian state media. Rushdie, 75, lost an eye and the use of one of his hands as a result of the on-stage assault at a literary event in New York in August. Hadi Matar has pleaded not guilty to second-degree attempted murder and assault charges. “We sincerely thank the brave action of the young American who made Muslims happy by blinding one of Rushdie’s eyes and disabling one of his hands,” said Mohammad Esmail Zarei, secretary of the Foundation to Implement Imam Khomeini’s Fatwas. “Rushdie is now no more than living dead and, to honor this brave action, about 1,000 square meters of agricultural land will be donated to the person or any of his legal representatives,” Zarei said. Rushdie earlier this month described Matar as an “idiot” in his first interview since the attack.
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