Salman Rushdie: From ‘The Satanic Verses’ to Attack in New York

Salman Rushdie, the author of ‘The Satanic Verses‘ had to spend years of hiding following a ‘fatwa‘ pronounced by the Iranian leader for his death. No one could ever imagine that the threats he received in the past would turn into reality after 33 long years.

However, on Friday morning, a 24-year-old man rushed towards Salman Rushdie, 75. Mr. Rushdie was on stage to give a talk about ‘United States, a safe haven for exiled writers.’

According to the police, the attacker, stabbed Mr. Rushdie in the abdomen and the neck. He was straining himself to continue stabbing even after several men held him back. Mr. Rushdie was taken for medical care in a helicopter immediately.

According to The New York times, the motive behind the attack was still unclear. Moreover, The attacker, Hadi Matar, a New Jersey man arrested at the scene of offence has not told his motive yet.

The attack on Salman Rushdie shook the literary world. He is revered as one of the great authors. He can be termed as one of the great defenders of freedom of speech and creative expression.

Mr. Rushdie’s life was under threat since 1989, after the publication of his book, ‘satanic verses’. It is alleged that some parts in his book, fictionalized the life of Prophet Muhammad. Muslims around the world found this fiction to be offensive and blasphemous.

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