Apostasy in Islam taken place. Justifications offered for the alleged executions vary, but one of the most common theories advanced is that they were in retaliation for the 1988 attack on the western borders of Iran by the PMOI Mujahedin. However, this does not fully account for the targeting of other leftist groups who opposed the Mujahedin invasion. Salman Rushdie is a prominent contemporary figure accused of apostasy. In 1989 a fatwa was issued by Ayatollah Khomeini, the ruler of Iran at the time, calling for the death of Salman Rushdie for the blasphemy of authoring the book "The Satanic Verses". Hossein Soodmand,
Ayatollah Haj Muhammmad-Hassan Jazayeri was a classmate of Ayatollah Khomeini when at quran school. At the age of 40, he was invited to Ahvaz to be the Supreme Religious leader of all the Imams of Khuzestan. He set the times of prayers (Aathaan) for Khuzestan. He had 5 children, 2 boys and 3 girls. He was very respected by the Shah of Iran Mohammmad Reza Pahlavi and his wife Farah Pahlavi. He led a very spiritual life and he was a very important Ayatollah in his time. He died in 1343 (1965) at the age of 73. He was buried in a tomb in