Author Salman Rushdie, best known for ‘The Satanic Verses‘, a book that led to death threats from Islamists around the world, particularly from Iran in the 1980s, was attacked Friday as he was about to give a lecture in western New York.

According to reports, Rushdie was attacked when he was about to give a lecture at Chautauqua Institution in New York. As per eyewitnesses, a man stormed the stage and begin punching and stabbing Rushdie when he was being introduced. The author fell to the floor, and the assailant was restrained.

Rushdie’s condition was not immediately known. It is reported that Rushdie has been stabbed in his neck and airlifted to a hospital.

In a press release, the New York State police said they are investigating the attack against Salman Rushdie at the Chautauqua Institution in Chautauqua, NY.

Rushdie came into the limelight after his book “The Satanic Verses” was banned in 1988 by a host of countries, including India which was then governed by Rajiv Gandhi, over content that Muslims considered “blasphemous”. A year later, Iran’s Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa, calling for Rushdie’s death.

A bounty of $3 million was offered to anyone who kills Rushdie after Islamists around the world targeted him for his book “The Satanic Verses”, which they said was blasphemous against Islam.

Iran has since then disassociated itself from Khomeini’s edict, but hatred against Rushdie had persisted over decades as Islamists continued to mount fatal assassination bids to suppress voices that they considered had committed the “unpardonable sin” of blaspheming against Islam. From Charlie Hebdo journalists to French school teacher Samuel Paty to Hindu Samaj leader Kamlesh Tiwari, and recently Kanhaiya Lal and Umesh Kolhe, have been some of the victims of the mentality that had also targeted Rushdie over his book during the 1980s and called for an attack against him.

Rushdie, however, at that time, dismissed the threat saying there was “no evidence” of people being interested in the reward to assassinate him.

Salman Rushdie may lose one eye

Hours after Salman Rushdie was brutally stabbed at Chautauqua Institution in the United States, the novelist’s agent Andrew Wylie informed us that he is still in a critical state. While speaking to the New York Times, Wylie informed that Rushdie was being put on ventilator support and that he could not speak. “The news is not good. Salman will likely lose one eye; the nerves in his arm were severed, and his liver was stabbed and damaged,” he lamented.

The author of ‘The Satanic Verses’ reportedly provided immediate medical attention by an audience member named Rita Landman. She had earlier informed that Salman Rushdie received multiple stab wounds, one to his neck and another to his abdomen.

The endocrinologist added that the renowned novelist was not receiving CPR, even though he appeared to be alive. After initial stage treatment, Salman Rushie was rushed to a local trauma center.

Identification of the accused

The man involved in the stabbing of Salman Rushdie was identified as 24-year-old Hadi Matar. A resident of Fairview in New Jersey, Hadi jumped onto the stage and attacked Salman Rushdie with a knife.

The accused reportedly had a pass for the event where Rushdie was invited to deliver a lecture. The police informed that the nationality and motive behind the ghastly incident are yet to be ascertained.

The authorities had also seized a backpack, belonging to the accused, from the crime scene. They claimed that the attacker might have been alone and have launched a probe to determine whether that’s the case.

As per a report by New York Times, the local police have sought help from the Federal Bureau of Investigation for determining the background and motives of Hadi Matar. On Friday (August 12), Salman Rushdie was stabbed during an event at the Chautauqua Institution in western New York.

As per eyewitnesses, a man stormed the stage and begin punching and stabbing Rushdie when he was being introduced. The author fell to the floor, and the assailant was restrained.

Rushdie has been a prominent spokesman for free expression and liberal causes. He is a former president of PEN America, which said it was “reeling from shock and horror” at the attack.

“We can think of no comparable incident of a public violent attack on a literary writer on American soil,” CEO Suzanne Nossel said in a statement.

“Salman Rushdie has been targeted for his words for decades but has never flinched nor faltered,” she added.

Many Muslims viewed his 1988 book “The Satanic Verses” as blasphemous. Often-violent protests against Rushdie erupted around the w world, including a riot that killed 12 people in Mumbai.

The novel was banned in Iran, where the late leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a 1989 fatwa, or edict, calling for Rushdie’s death.

The death threats and bounty led Rushdie to go into hiding under a British government protection program, including a round-the-clock armed guard. Rushdie emerged after nine years of seclusion and cautiously resumed more public appearances, maintaining his outspoken criticism of religious extremism overall.

Iran’s government has long since distanced itself from Khomeini’s decree, but anti-Rushdie sentiment has lingered. The Index on Censorship, an organization promoting free expression, said the money was raised to boost the reward for his killing as recently as 2016, underscoring that the fatwa for his death still stands.

In 2012, Rushdie published a memoir, “Joseph Anton,” about the fatwa. The title came from the pseudonym Rushdie had used while in hiding.

Rushdie rose to prominence with his Booker Prize-winning 1981 novel “Midnight’s Children,” but his name became known around the world after “The Satanic Verses.”

The Chautauqua Institution, about 55 miles southwest of Buffalo in a rural corner of New York, is known for its summertime lecture series. Rushdie has spoken there before.

Emmanuel Macron @EmmanuelMacron wrote, "Officiel du gouvernement - France For 33 years, Salman Rushdie has embodied freedom and the fight against obscurantism. He has just been the victim of a cowardly attack by the forces of hatred and barbarism. His fight is our fight; it is universal. Now more than ever, we stand by his side."

Masih Alinejad  @AlinejadMasih pointed out, "Guess who defends Khomeini’s FATWA against #Salman_Rushdie? Mahallati the Islamic Republic’s former ambassador at the UN who is now a professor at @oberlincollege. He has said that the punishment for blasphemy is death. The US must be tough on terror."

References:

opindia.com