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 down on 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 suffered an apparent stab wound to the neck, and was transported by helicopter to an area hospital. His condition is not yet known. The interviewer suffered a minor head injury,” the statement said.
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 comsidered 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.