SALMAN RUSHDIE

The most famous of all fatwas has certainly been declared against Salman Rushdie for his novel The Satanic Verses.

The death sentence, issued in the fatwa, called on Muslims anywhere in the world to kill Rushdie for alleged blasphemy against Prophet Muhammad.

The controversy started as the novel in question had made references to verses in the Koran that refer to the worship of idols, something forbidden in Islam.

Even after 16 years of the decreeing of the fatwa, Iran's current supreme leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomenei still upholds the death sentence against Rushdie.

The fatwa was first issued in 1989 by Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomenei after publication of Rushdie's novel The Satanic Verses. Khomeini died shortly after issuing the fatwa.

In 1998, Iran stated that it is no longer pursuing Rushdie's death. Tehran also promised the British Government that Iran would do nothing to implement the fatwa.

Iran's reformist President Mohammad Khatami had also said the death sentence should be considered closed.

In 2004, the Khordad Foundation, a charity that put a $2.8m bounty on the novelist, declared the fatwa remained valid.

Since the 1989 decree, Rushdie has received constant protection in the United Kingdom. He has had to keep his whereabouts secret and lived in 30 different addresses in the UK over nine years.