General Hossein Salami, the commander-in-chief of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corp (IRGC), recently threatened the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo after it published cartoons mocking Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
In a public address on January 14, Salami warned that the Muslims will "sooner or later" exact revenge on the magazine, like they had against author Salman Rushdie. He added, "Do not mess with the Muslims."
Salami’s address aired on Iran’s Hamoon TV and was translated by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI).
"With regard to the issue of Charlie Hebdo, I refer the French people and the executives of this institution to the fate of Salman Rushdie. Look, do not mess with the Muslims,” he said, adding, "More than 30 years ago, Salman Rushdie insulted the Quran and acted with insolence towards the Prophet of Islam. Following that, they kept him in dreadful hiding places.”
"Ultimately, however, after 30 years, a young zealous Muslim exacted courageous revenge on him. Salman Rushdie will never be back. Now you [at Charlie Hebdo] have made this big mistake. No matter when, sooner or later, the Muslims will exact revenge. Say: 'Allah Akbar!'" declared Salami.
The newspaper was criticized after it published caricatures of Khamenei, in support of the months-long protests in Iran, sparked by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, following her arrest for allegedly violating the country's strict dress code.
Iran blasted France over the "insulting and indecent" cartoons, which appeared in a special edition to mark the anniversary of the deadly 2015 attack on the magazine's Paris offices.
Iran later shut down the Tehran-based French research institute in an act of protest against the cartoons.
Charlie Hebdo later doubled down on its ridicule of Khamenei and published fresh cartoons of him.
(Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)