The Mehr news agency carried a report on Saturday saying that an event entitled Analysis of ways to act against the offensive of Global Blasphemy was held in Tehran to mark the anniversary of the fatwa, or religious edict, by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini for the murder of the Indian-born British author Salman Rushdie.
The conference agenda was dominated by the row over the publication of cartoons of Islams Prophet Muhammad.
Mohammad-Ali Samadi, spokesman for the Headquarters to Commemorate the Martyrs of the Global Islamic Movement, a government-orchestrated campaign to recruit suicide bombers, told the meeting that more that 52,000 volunteers for martyrdom-seeking operations have been registered by his organisation, which also calls itself Esteshhadioun, or martyrdom-seekers.
The group was set up by Irans Revolutionary Guards in 2004. Those who join have three choices: To carry out suicide attacks against the infidels occupying Iraq, against Israel, or against Salman Rushdie.
