Stabbing Sends Ripples of ‘Shock and Horror’ through the Literary World.

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Literary figures and public officials said that they were shocked by the news that the author Salman Rushdie had been stabbed in the neck on Friday morning while onstage to give a lecture at the Chautauqua Institute in western New York.

“We cannot immediately think of any comparable incident of a public violent attack on a writer during a literary event here in the United States,” said Suzanne Nossel, the chief executive officer of the nonprofit literary organization PEN America, who noted that the motivations for the attack and Mr. Rushdie’s current condition were unknown as of Friday late morning.

Mr. Rushdie is a former president of PEN America, which advocates for writers’ freedom of expression around the world.

She said in a statement that the organization’s members were “reeling from shock and horror.”

Ms. Nossel said Mr. Rushdie had emailed her hours before the attack to ask about helping Ukrainian writers in need of safe refuge.

“Salman Rushdie has been targeted for his words for decades, but has never flinched nor faltered,” she said. “He has devoted tireless energy to assisting others who are vulnerable and menaced.”

The author Neil Gaiman wrote on Twitter that he was “shocked and distressed” about the attack.

“He’s a good man and a brilliant one and I hope he’s okay,” he said.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Britain said in a Twitter post that he was “appalled that Sir Salman Rushdie has been stabbed while exercising a right we should never cease to defend. Right now my thoughts are with his loved ones. We are all hoping he is okay.” » | Hurubie Meko | Friday, August 12, 2022

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Salman Rushdie Is Attacked Onstage in Western New York.

Salman RushdieCredit...Grant Pollard/Invision, via Associated Press
THE NEW YORK TIMES: The author Salman Rushdie, who spent years in hiding and under police protection after Iranian officials called for his execution, was attacked and stabbed in the neck on Friday while onstage in Chautauqua, near Erie in western New York, the state police said.

The attack happened at about 11 a.m., shortly after Mr. Rushdie took the stage to deliver a lecture at the Chautauqua Institution, a community in western New York that offers arts and literary programming during the summer.

Mr. Rushdie was taken by helicopter to a local hospital, the state police said in a statement. His condition is not yet known. It was not clear what motivated the attacker.

Rita Landman, an endocrinologist who was in the audience, said that Mr. Rushdie had multiple stab wounds, including one to the right side of his neck, and that there was a pool of blood under his body. But she said he appeared to be alive. “People were saying, ‘He has a pulse, he has a pulse he has a pulse,’” Ms. Landman said.

The author had just come onstage and was seated in a chair as a staff member introduced him, when the assailant rushed the stage and assaulted the author. “I could just see his fists sort of pounding on Salman,” one witness, Bill Vasu, 72, said.

A number of people rushed to Mr. Rushdie’s aid, Mr. Vasu said, and quickly pinned the attacker to the ground. » | David Gelles and Elizabeth A. Harris | Friday, August 12, 2022

L’auteur britannique Salman Rushdie hospitalisé après avoir été poignardé lors d’une conférence dans l’Etat de New York : Salman Rushdie a été visé par une fatwa de l’ayatollah iranien Ruhollah Khomeyni en 1989 après la publication de ses « Versets sataniques » l’année précédente, livre que de nombreux musulmans considèrent comme blasphématoire. »

Messerangriff auf Salman Rushdie : In Chautauqua im Bundesstaat New York wurde Salman Rushdie auf offener Bühne mit einem Messer am Hals verletzt. Er wurde mit einem Hubschrauber in ein Krankenhaus gebracht. »

‘This is shocking’: writers and celebrities horrified by Salman Rushdie attack: Author, who has previously faced death threats, was stabbed as he was about to deliver a lecture in western New York »

L'écrivain Salman Rushdie «poignardé au cou» sur scène dans l'État de New York : L'état de santé de l'auteur des Versets sataniques est pour l'heure «inconnu», selon la police, qui a annoncé l'arrestation d'un suspect. »

Salman Rushdie, Samuel Paty et « Charlie », tous victimes d’une même stratégie djihadiste planétaire : La fatwa contre l’écrivain, l’assassinat de l’enseignant, le massacre à Paris... le scénario des campagnes djihadistes est quasi invariable. »

Autor Salman Rushdie bei Event in New York niedergestochen: Der 75-Jährige ist am Leben und wurde in ein Krankenhaus geflogen, erklärte New Yorks Gouverneurin Hochul. Der Angreifer wurde festgenommen »

Author Salman Rushdie: "Truth Is a Battle ... Maybe Never More So Than Now" | Amanpour and Company

Salman Rushdie is no stranger to attacks on freedom of speech. In 1989, he was the subject of a fatwā from Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini, who deemed Rushdie's novel "The Satanic Verses" blasphemous against Islam. Over 30 years later, the threat has receded and Rushdie is releasing a new collection of essays. He speaks with Walter Isaacson about the importance of storytelling and the dangers of cancel culture. Originally aired on June 16, 2021.

'Salman Rushdie Radicalised My Generation'

BBC: It's Valentine's day 1989. Margaret Thatcher is prime minister and Kylie, Yazz and Bros are making noise. Far away, Iran's supreme leader issues a fatwa demanding the death of British author Salman Rushdie - and the effect on young Muslims in the UK is huge.

Alyas Karmani was soaking up everything student life had to offer. He'd grown up in Tooting, south London, in a traditional Pakistani household, his father a bus driver and trade unionist. Religion was an important part of Alyas's upbringing but not something he was particularly interested in.

"We were obedient to our parents. We'd go to the mosque when it was required but we had a clandestine double-life existence," he says. "We were partying, smoking weed, going out with girls and doing everything we could possibly do."

So when it was time to choose a university, Alyas ran away from his Pakistani Muslim identity and headed 400 miles north to Glasgow. "I was running as fast as possible. I was a 'self-hating Paki'. I didn't want brown friends. All my friends were white liberal mainstream types. That was my crowd." » | Mobeen Azhar, BBC News | Thursday, February 14, 2019

Salman Rushdie on Gender, Fake News and Trump - BBC Newsnight

In his latest book, The Golden House, Salman Rushdie describes an Indian family fleeing to a new life in America. It's a novel that explores and explodes identity - of race and gender, and it's a novel that begins in the era of Obama and ends in the era of Trump. He speaks to Emily Maitlis.

How Will Donald Trump’s Presidency End? | The New Yorker

In the first of an ongoing series of panel discussions called “Public Forum: A Well-Ordered Nation,” David Remnick asks Salman Rushdie, Tony Kushner, and Claudia Rankine how they envision the final days of the Trump Administration.

Ex-Muslim Salman Rushdie – Islam Is Insane

Salman Rushdie on Burkinis, ISIS and His Latest Novel

Salman Rushdie Destroys Islam in a Polite Way

Rushdie presents a clear and polite rebuttal to Islam.

Salman Rushdie on the Koran as Story and History

Iran Shuns Frankfurt Book Fair Over Salman Rushdie Invitation

Salman Rushdie was made subject of a fatwa calling for his
killing in 1988, after his novel The Satanic Verses allegedly
depicted prophet Muhammad irreverently.

THE GUARDIAN: Republic calls for other Muslim nations to join boycott after ‘person who is hated by Islamic world’ invited as guest speaker

Iran has announced that it will boycott next week’s Frankfurt book fair after organisers invited the author Salman Rushdie, whom Iranian scholars said should be killed, as a guest speaker. The foreign ministry said the fair had, “under the pretext of freedom of expression, invited a person who is hated in the Islamic world and create the opportunity for Salman Rushdie ... to make a speech”.

It said the Islamic republic “strongly protests” Rushdie’s appearance and had decided against participating in the fair, which is one of the world’s largest such events. The ministry called on other Muslim nations to join its boycott.

For his part, deputy culture minister Abbas Salehi said: “Fair officials chose the theme of freedom of expression, but they invited someone who has insulted our beliefs.” » | AFP in Tehran | Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Bill Maher and Salman Rushdie Debate the Future of Muslims in Europe

'There's a lot of young Muslim men in European cities ... Free speech we see is not something they always agree with. And often their attitude is, 'We're biding our time until you will do things our way,' said Maher. read more: http://www.haaretz.com/video/1.675841

Read the Haaretz article here Haaretz | Sunday, September 13, 2015

Salman Rushdie Condemns 'Hate-filled Rhetoric' of Islamic Fanaticism

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Salman Rushdie says all religions have their extremists but "the overwhelming weight of the problem lies in the world of Islam"

Accusations of 'Islamophobia' are being levelled at anyone who dares to speak out against the "hate-filled rhetoric" of Islamic fanaticism, Salman Rushdie has claimed in a speech condemning Isil and "this new age of religious mayhem".

Rushdie voiced his fears that the language of "jihadi-cool" is seducing young British Muslims, many via Twitter and YouTube, into joining the "decapitating barbarianism" of Isil, the group also referred to as Islamic State or Isis.

In his PEN/Pinter Prize Lecture, the author said all religions have their extremists but "the overwhelming weight of the problem lies in the world of Islam". » | Anita Singh, Arts and Entertainment Editor | Thursday, October 09, 2014

Salman Rushdie and The Satanic Verses Affair

An excellent historical documentary that highlights the trials and tribulations of Salman Rushdie as he struggled to lead a normal life under the constant threat of the Ayatollah Khomeini's fatwa. The part of the story that most people don't seem to hear about is Rushdie's attempt to convince the Iranian religious leaders to withdraw the fatwa on the basis that he was becoming a more devout muslim. Obviously, it didn't work, but it does show how much pressure Rushdie must have been under at the time.

Prince Charles Turned His Back on Sir Salman Rushdie over The Satanic Verses 'Because He Thought Book Was Offensive to Muslims'

THE INDEPENDENT: Revelations made by author Martin Amis

Prince Charles turned his back on Sir Salman Rushdie during his fatwa over publication of The Satanic Verses because he thought the book was offensive to Muslims, it has been claimed.

In an interview with Vanity Fair, the author Martin Amis claims that the Prince’s views caused a row at a dinner party after Rushdie was issued with the death sentence by Islamic clerics in 1989. Amis claims that Charles told him that he would not offer support “if someone insults someone else’s deepest convictions”.

Amis attempted to remonstrate with him, but the Prince offered little beyond insisting he would “take it on board”. Rushdie went into hiding for a decade after Iran's late spiritual leader, Ayatollah Khomeini, issued a fatwa in 1989 calling for the author's assassination. » | Kunal Dutta | Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Salman Rushdie: «Religion soll sich aus der Politik raushalten»

Der indisch-britische Schriftsteller Salman Rushdie lebte jahrelang im Untergrund, nachdem Ayatollah Khomeini 1989 gegen ihn eine Fatwa ausgesprochen hatte. Im «Echo der Zeit» spricht er über sein Werk, die Lage in Ägypten und das Verhältnis von Politik und Religion.

Salman Rushdie: «Mit Religion lässt sich nicht effizient regieren»

SCHWEIZER RADIO UND FERNSEHEN: Der renommierte Buchautor Salman Rushdie äussert sich nur vorsichtig über die Zukunft Ägyptens. Ob eine demokratisch gewählte, islamistische Regierung bestehen könne, werde sich zeigen. Nach seiner Meinung soll sich die Religion aus der Politik heraushalten.

Salman Rushdie ist ein englischer Autor mit kashmir-indischen Wurzeln. Er lebte zwölf Jahre im Untergrund, nachdem der iranische Revolutionsführer Ayatollah Khomeini 1989 gegen ihn eine Fatwa, ein Todesurteil, ausgesprochen hatte. Der Grund waren seine Satanischen Verse.

Heute bewegt sich Salman Rushdie wieder frei und war zu Gast am Literaturfestival Leukerbad. Dort äusserte er sich auch zu Ägypten. (+ Audio) » | Interview: Isabelle Jacobi | Sonntag, 07. Juli 2013

Salman Rushdie Releases 'Midnight's Children' Film
Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children - one of the most cherished novels of the 20th century - has been made into a film. While the novel made Rushdie's name, his later work The Satanic Verses earned him a fatwa from Iran's supreme leader. Al Jazeera's Tim Friend spoke to Rushdie at the film's European premier.

New Dark Age Alert! Iran Resurrects Salman Rushdie Threat

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Iran has seized on widespread Muslim outrage over a film insulting the Prophet Mohammad to revive the death threat against Salman Rushdie, raising the reward for killing him by US$500,000 (£320,000).

Ayatollah Hassan Sanei, head of a powerful state foundation providing relief to the poor, said the film would never have been made if the order to execute Rushdie, issued by the late Iranian spiritual leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, had been carried out.

Ayatollah Khomeini pronounced a fatwa sentencing the author to death in 1989 after declaring his novel, The Satanic Verses, "blasphemous", but Iranian officials later indicated it would not be implemented.

"It [the film] won't be the last insulting act as long as Imam Khomeini's historic order on executing the blasphemous Salman Rushdie is not carried out," he said in a statement.

"If the imam's order was carried out, the further insults in the form of caricatures, articles and films would not have taken place. The impertinence of the grudge-filled enemies of Islam, which is occurring under the flag of the Great Satan, America and the racist Zionists, can only be blocked by the absolute administration of this Islamic order."

Ayatollah Saeni's offer appeared to be an officially-sanctioned attempt by Iran to harness anger across the Muslim world over the film, which was produced by anti-Muslim Christians based in the United States. The film, which depicts the Prophet Mohammed in a derogatory manner, has provoked riots and violent attacks on western interests in several Muslim countries, including Libya, where Americans, including the ambassador, were killed.

Although Ayatollah Sanei has offered financial rewards for carrying out the edict in the past, he said Muslim anger over the recent film meant the time was now ripe.

"The aim [of the fatwa] has been to uproot the anti-Islamic conspiracy and now the necessity for taking this action is even more obvious than any other time," he said. "I'm adding another $500,000 to the reward and anyone who carries out this order will immediately receive the whole amount." The total bounty is now $3.3m (£2.1 m). » | Robert Tait | Sunday, September 16, 2012

Rushdie: Video Protests 'An Ugly Reaction'
BBC – AUDIO: The author Sir Salman Rushdie has said that the protests in Arab capitals against a film which some Muslims say insults Islam is "an ugly reaction that needs to be named as such".

Sir Salman spent more than a decade in hiding under armed protection following a Fatwa in 1989 over his novel The Satanic Verses.

He told Today presenter James Naughtie that the film at the centre of the protests was an "idiotic video... A piece of garbage".

And he added "respect is a code for fear" which is "something we need to overcome".

There is, he explained "no trick to defend stuff you agree with. It's when you have to defend something that you despise and loathe that you realise you believe in freedom of speech.

"We need to insist that the culture of this country is one of open discourse."

At least seven people have died in demonstrations across the Middle East and North Africa over the US-produced film. Listen to the audio here » | Saturday, September 15, 2012