Support: Award-winning author Salman Rushdie, pictured, yesterday spoke out to condemn the attacks on the office of newspaper Charlie Hebdo

Author Salman Rushdie, whose book 'The Satanic Verses' prompted Iranian clergy to issue a death fatwa on him, has condemned the attack on the Paris offices of satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo.

Speaking in support of the publication, which had its old offices burned down after printing cartoons that mocked the Prophet Muhammad, Mr Rushdie said 'religion deserves our fearless disrespect'.

He added that the strike by suspected Al Qaeda militants, which left 12 dead, was a sign of the 'deadly mutation in the heart of Islam.'

Mr Rushdie was named alongside Staphane Charbonnier, the newspaper's editor, on Al Qaeda's 'most wanted' list last year.

This morning 12 people - including four of France's most revered cartoonists - were executed by masked attackers brandishing Kalashnikovs, who burst into the Charlie Hebdo headquarters.

The militants opened fire on staff after seeking out journalists by name.

Witnesses said the suspected Al Qaeda gunmen were heard to shout 'the Prophet has been avenged' and 'Allahu akbar!' – Arabic for 'God is great' – as they stalked the building.

They headed straight for the paper's editor and cartoonist, Stephane Charbonnier, killing him and his police bodyguard.

The security had been recruited to protect him after extremists firebombed the offices in 2011 over a satirical cartoon about the Prophet Mohammed.

A year later, Mr Charbonnier famously dismissed threats against his life, declaring: 'I would rather die standing than live kneeling.'

The militants also killed three other renowned cartoonists – men who had regularly satirised Islam – and the newspaper's deputy chief editor. They shot two policemen as they left the building.

In a statement yesterday, Mr Rushdie said: 'Religion, a mediaeval form of unreason, when combined with modern weaponry becomes a real threat to our freedoms.

'This religious totalitarianism has caused a deadly mutation in the heart of Islam and we see the tragic consequences in Paris today.

'I stand with Charlie Hebdo, as we all must, to defend the art of satire, which has always been a force for liberty and against tyranny, dishonesty and stupidity.

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Stephane Charbonnier (centre right) and Salman Rushdie (bottom right) were named as two of nine men Al Qaeda were targeting. Their photos were printed alongside the caption 'a bullet a day keeps the infidel away'

Massacre: This morning 12 people - including four of France's most revered cartoonists - were executed by masked attackers brandishing Kalashnikovs, who burst into the Charlie Hebdo headquarters

Target: The militants, pictured after the attack yesterday, killed four renowned cartoonists – men who had regularly satirised Islam – and the newspaper's deputy chief editor, as well as its editor-in-chief

‘"Respect for religion" has become a code phrase meaning "fear of religion." Religions, like all other ideas, deserve criticism, satire, and, yes, our fearless disrespect.'

Last February, Iranian clergy revived Salman Rushdie's death fatwa, 25 years after it was issued over his 'blasphemous' Satanic Verses.

On February 14, 1989, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini called on all Muslims to murder the award-winning author and anyone involved in the publication of his work.

The religious ruling forced the award-winning writer into hiding, and Britain's ties with the Islamic republic were severely damaged.

Hitoshi Igarashi, the Japanese translator, was stabbed to death in the face at work, a Norwegian publisher shot and an Italian publisher knifed.

Editor Stephane Charbonnier, pictured, was also pictured in Al-Qaeda magazine Inspire on a list of nine men Al Qaeda was targetting, along with the caption 'a bullet a day keeps the infidel away'

The award-winning author, pictured with his book The Satanic Verses, was forced into hiding after Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini vowed to kill him, anyone involved in the book's publication, and anyone close to him

Thousands took to the streets to burn copies of the book and thirty-seven people were massacred in Sivas, Turkey, in a 1993 attack intended to target Aziz Nesin, the book's Turkish translator.

More than two decades later, Rushdie emerged from hiding and is regularly seen at public events.

The Satanic Verses, Rushdie's fourth novel, propelled the Indian-born writer into a storm of controversy that forced him into hiding for the best part of a decade.

SALMAN RUSHDIE'S STATEMENT 'Religion, a mediaeval form of unreason, when combined with modern weaponry becomes a real threat to our freedoms. 'This religious totalitarianism has caused a deadly mutation in the heart of Islam and we see the tragic consequences in Paris today. 'I stand with Charlie Hebdo, as we all must, to defend the art of satire, which has always been a force for liberty and against tyranny, dishonesty and stupidity. '"Respect for religion’ has become a code phrase meaning ‘fear of religion." 'Religions, like all other ideas, deserve criticism, satire, and, yes, our fearless disrespect.' Advertisement

The title refers to the so-called 'satanic verses', a group of alleged Qur'anic verses that allow intercessory prayers to be made to three Pagan Meccan goddesses.

The book's publication in 1988 sparked a wave of protest and condemnation from Muslims who accused it of blasphemy and mocking their faith. The following year, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, then Supreme Leader of Iran, issued a fatwā, or religious ruling, calling for Rushdie's death.

The British government gave the writer round-the-clock police protection.

Rushdie has received notices every year since the publication reminding him of the religious ruling.

In 2012, Hassan Sanei, the head of the state-funded 15 Khordad, raised the bounty on Rushdie's head by $500,000 to $3.3million ($2million).

He said Islamaphobic literature and films would not have been made if it weren't for the Satanic Verses.

'Surely if the sentence of the Imam had been carried out, the later insults in the form of caricatures, articles and the making of movies would not have occurred,' he said in a statement last February.

'I am adding another $500,000 to the reward for killing Salman Rushdie and anyone who carries out this sentence will receive the whole amount immediately.'

Also in 2012, Rushdie became the subject of a computer game in Iran called The Stressful Life Of Salman Rushdie And Implementation Of His Verdict.

The programme is intended to teach the younger generation about the 'highly important' fatwa.