Are fatwas supposed to be death sentences?

I am familiar with the case of Salman Rushdie, a British author who published a book that was deemed offensive by many Muslims called The Satanic Verses. As I understand it, the controversy reached a fever pitch when the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Khomeini, declared a fatwa, sentencing Rushdie and anyone involved with the book to death.

I am aware that fatwas can be declared for many reasons, but are fatwas supposed to be blanket death sentences, like the way Khomeini meant for his fatwa to be? If I did something to offend a Islamic leader in the way Rushdie did, would that leader have the right under Islam to sentence me to death?

submitted by /u/HistoryLord
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