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,
Political thought and legacy of Ruhollah Khomeini Lebanese Shi'a Islamic group Hezbollah—and which continues to apply economic sanctions against Iran. Popular feeling during the hostage-taking was so high in the United States that some Iranians complained that they felt the need to hide their Iranian identity for fear of physical attack even at universities. Some books by and on Ayatollah Khomeini: Pictures of Ayatollah Khomeini: Critics of Ayatollah Khomeini: Biography of Ayatollah Khomeini Political thought and legacy of Ruhollah Khomeini Khomeinism is the founding ideology of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Impact of the religious and political ideas of that leader of the Iranian Islamic Revolution, Grand