Indian-born novelist Salman Rushdie, author of the praised and criticized “The Satanic Verses,” remains in hospital after being stabbed in an appearance at the Chautauqua Institution in New York on Friday.
His attacker, identified as 24-year-old Hadi Matar, severely damaged Rushdie’s liver and his agent said he is likely to lose an eye from nerve damage.
The 75-year-old has faced decades of death threats, including a $3 million government-issued bounty in Iran demanding his execution for his 1988 book “The Satanic Verses.”
WHO IS SALMAN RUSHDIE?
Salman Rushdie is an award-winning author of thirteen novels, often with stories in the magical realism style. Rushdie moved to England at the age of 14 and has since received multiple world literary awards, including Britain’s Booker Prize in 1981 for his novel “Midnight’s Children.” Additionally, in 2007, Rushdie was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his literary contributions.
WHAT IS THE CONTROVERSY AROUND “THE SATANIC VERSES”
In 1988, his novel “The Satanic Verses” came under scrutiny from the Muslim community, as many considered it blasphemous for its portrayal of the Prophet Muhammad. According to the book’s synopsis, the first act of the story follows “two Indian actors of opposing sensibilities who fall to earth, transformed into living symbols of the angelic and evil” after a terrorist bombing of a London-bound plane. .
Shortly after its publication, the book was burned and banned in several Muslim countries, including India, Pakistan, and Iran; after massive protests around the world that left 45 dead, including 12 in the author’s hometown of Mumbai.
In 1989, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa, a religious ruling calling for the execution of Rushdie and the book’s publishers; which included a $3 million reward. In the midst of the fatwa, a Japanese translator of the book was stabbed to death in 1991 and an Italian translator was also stabbed but survived. William Nygaard, the book’s publisher, was also shot three times in 1993, but also managed to survive the assassination attempt.
WHERE HAS RUSHDIE BEEN SINCE THE FATWA WAS ISSUED?
Although Iran’s Khomeini died the same year the fatwa was issued, the current leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, did not rescind it, leaving the ruling in place. Rushdie received protection from the British government, which included 24-hour security while he went into hiding for almost a decade while living under the pseudonym Joseph Anton.
On a visit to Columbia University in 1991, Rushdie spoke about free speech, explaining that he was sorry he had offended people, but that he had no regrets about writing the novel.
“I have never disowned ‘The Satanic Verses,’ nor have I regretted writing it. I said I’m sorry I offended people, because I hadn’t meant to, and I’m sorry,” Rushdie said in an excerpt from his speech. published by the New York Times.
In 1998, Iranian President Mohammad Khatami’s foreign minister said the government does not support the reward, allowing Rushdie to slowly come out of hiding even though he continued to face threats on his life.
In his 2012 memoir “Joseph Anton,” Rushdie wrote about living the fatwa and described defeating terrorism “without being afraid.”
With files from The Associated Press.