{"id":1622765,"date":"2022-08-26T10:10:35","date_gmt":"2022-08-26T14:10:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1622765"},"modified":"2022-08-26T10:10:39","modified_gmt":"2022-08-26T14:10:39","slug":"university-of-denver-professor-blames-israel-for-rushdie-attack","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/university-of-denver-professor-blames-israel-for-rushdie-attack\/","title":{"rendered":"University of Denver Professor Blames Israel for Rushdie Attack"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Funiversity-of-denver-professor-blames-israel-for-rushdie-attack%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1622765&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"article-category\"><a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/campus\/\">Campus<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"article-excerpt\">Nader Hashemi said Mossad agents likely recruited Rushdie attacker online<\/p>\n<figure class=\"post-thumbnail-container relative lg:mr-24 w-full my-4 mb-8\"><figcaption class=\"absolute text-white p-4 w-full text-right text-xs bottom-0 bg-black opacity-75\">\n\t\t\t\tGetty Images\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\t\t\t<span class=\"text-gray text-xs md:text-lg\"><a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/author\/adam-kredo\/\" title=\"Posts by Adam Kredo\" class=\"author url fn text-red-700\" rel=\"author\">Adam Kredo<\/a> \u2022 August 24, 2022 6:00 pm<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<p>A University of Denver professor claimed that Israel\u2019s secret security service, Mossad, could have been behind the attack this month on author Salman Rushdie.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/korbel.du.edu\/about\/directory\/nader-hashemi\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Nader Hashemi<\/a>, director of the school\u2019s Center for Middle East Studies, said this week during a podcast that Rushdie\u2019s alleged attacker, Hadi Matar, could have been persuaded to carry out the attack by Mossad agents posing as members of Iran\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vice.com\/en\/article\/88qxvz\/salman-rushdie-hadi-matar-revolutionary-guard\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">reportedly<\/a> was in contact with Matar prior to the near-fatal stabbing.<\/p>\n<p>A &#8220;much more likely&#8221; scenario for the attack, Hashemi <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NUFDIran\/status\/1562181739581059079\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">said<\/a>, revolves around Matar\u2019s supposed communications &#8220;with someone online who claimed to be an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps supporter and lured him into attacking Salman Rushdie. And that so-called person online claiming to be affiliated with the Islamic Republic of Iran could have been a Mossad operative.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Hashemi\u2019s comments drew <a href=\"https:\/\/foreigndesknews.com\/top-story\/university-of-denver-professor-blames-mossad-for-rushdie-attack\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">widespread condemnation<\/a> from Iran experts and those tracking the case, who said the professor\u2019s remarks appear aimed at deflecting blame from the Iranian regime.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Having followed Iran&#8217;s politics and the regime\u2019s soft power for many years, I can say that one of the patterns among regime sympathizers in the West is that they usually try to downplay the regime&#8217;s guilt when grappling with a scandal,&#8221; Navid Mohebbi, advocacy director for the National Union for Democracy in Iran, a reformist group, told the <em>Washington<\/em> <em>Free Beacon<\/em>. &#8220;Instead, they propagate the probability that the regime&#8217;s foes, such as Israel, might have something to do with it to make the regime look bad. They often use dog whistles and other softer means. However, this time, it seems Mr. Hashemi slipped and said the anti-Semitic conspiracy theory part out loud.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>While Hashemi initially agreed to be interviewed by the <em>Free Beacon<\/em> about his comments, he later said via email that he had &#8220;been advised&#8221; not to speak with the publication, claiming it has &#8220;promoted odious views that I strongly object to on ethical grounds.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Hashemi\u2019s comments about Mossad\u2019s supposed role in the attack were made on the <em><a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/the-iran-podcast\/id1515542917?i=1000576701948\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Iran Podcast<\/a><\/em>, hosted by Iran analyst Negar Mortazavi, who has <a href=\"https:\/\/responsiblestatecraft.org\/author\/nmortazavi\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">written<\/a> for publications including the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, an isolationist think tank bankrolled by George Soros and Charles Koch. The Quincy Institute is a leading supporter of diplomacy with Iran and the Biden administration\u2019s efforts to provide Tehran with billions of dollars in sanctions relief.<\/p>\n<p>Israel, Hashemi indicated during the podcast interview, is opposed to the Biden administration\u2019s efforts to revive the 2015 nuclear accord and could have staged the attack as part of a plan to derail the negotiations.<\/p>\n<p>Israel, Hashemi said, &#8220;has taken a very strong position against reviving the Iran nuclear agreement. We were in very sensitive negotiations, it looked like an agreement was imminent, and then the attack on Salman Rushdie takes place. I think that\u2019s one possible interpretation and scenario that could explain the timing of this, at this moment, during these sensitive political discussions.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The university distanced itself from the professor but has not yet taken any disciplinary action, citing free speech.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Professor Hashemi spoke as an individual faculty member and does not speak for the university,&#8221; a University of Denver spokesman told the <em>Free Beacon<\/em>. &#8220;While we wholeheartedly respect academic freedom and freedom of speech, his comments do not reflect the point of view of the university, nor are we aware of any facts that support this view.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Iran experts and pro-Israel officials told the <em>Free Beacon<\/em> that Hashemi\u2019s comments could be seen as anti-Semitic since they feed into conspiracy theories about Israel and Jews. Though the University of Denver backed away from Hashemi\u2019s remarks, university professors have been fired or disciplined for seemingly more minor offenses. Former Georgetown Law professor Ilya Shapiro, for instance, was forced to resign his position after he <a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/campus\/how-georgetown-law-school-used-ilya-shapiros-apology-against-him\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">criticized<\/a> President Joe Biden\u2019s Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson. Princeton University <a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/campus\/double-jeopardy-princeton-prepares-to-axe-star-professor-who-raised-hell-over-woke-lunacy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">fired<\/a> a distinguished professor, Joshua Katz, after he raised questions about the school\u2019s racial politics.<\/p>\n<p>Iranian dissidents and advocacy groups that track anti-Israel rhetoric online said Hashemi\u2019s rhetoric is typical of those who attempt to downplay the Iranian regime\u2019s terror plots.<\/p>\n<p>Alireza Nader, an Iran expert who has worked with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said the attack on Rushdie was purely fueled by Iran\u2019s &#8220;decades-long incitement&#8221; and that &#8220;to claim that the Mossad was behind it is repugnant.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>CNN reporter Jake Tapper also called Hashemi out on Twitter, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jaketapper\/status\/1562119061516984322\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">writing<\/a>, &#8220;Why are you publicly suggesting Israel had something to do with the attack on Salman Rushdie? Do you have any evidence to support such an allegation?&#8221; Hashemi said in response that he made a &#8220;rational argument.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Hashemi&#8217;s baseless allegation of Israeli involvement in the attempted assassination attempt of Salman Rushdie is ludicrous and further exposes what many of us already knew\u2014Hashemi is a bigot reeking of anti-Semitic bias,&#8221; said Liora Rez, executive director of StopAntisemitism.org. The group said it is featuring Hashemi in a series called &#8220;anti-Semite of the week.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Campus Nader Hashemi said Mossad agents likely recruited Rushdie attacker online  Getty Images  Adam Kredo \u2022 August 24, 2022 6:00 pm A University of<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":117,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1622765","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1622765","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/117"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1622765"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1622765\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1622765"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1622765"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1622765"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}