On August 12, 2022, Indian-American novelist, Salman Rushdie was stabbed in the neck and torso on stage at Chautauqua Institution in Western New York while giving a talk about the US being a safe haven for exiled writers. He has undergone surgery. He is on a ventilator and unable to speak. His agent said that in addition to damage to his liver, Salman might lose an eye. The assailant – a 24-year old New Jersey man – was charged and arrested with attempted murder. There have not been any conclusions made about motive or a connection to Iran.

Salman went into hiding credible threats to his life after he published his novel “The Satanic Verses,” but has recently re-entered society and been seen around New York City at times without security.

Salman, now 75, has been living under a death sentence since 1989. Iran’s former ruler Ayatollah Khomeini issued a “fatwa”, sentencing him to death, for the “blasphemous” The Satanic Verses. A “fatwa” is a religious edict that orders Muslims to kill the person at hand. There was a bounty with a reward of several million dollars. To be honest, I was unfamiliar with “fatwas” until watching an episode of Larry David’s Curb Your Enthusiasm (Season 11).

The Satanic Verses parodies the Koran’s account of the prophecies of the Prophet Mohammed, the founder of the Islam faith. Many Muslims found the fictional depiction offensive and some even “blasphemous.” Salman was found guilty of creating publish disorder (“fasad”) under Islamic law. There were riots and deaths in India and Pakistan after condemnation of the book. The book was banned in 45 Islamic countries. Salman lived in London at the time. Many British Muslims endorsed the death sentence back then.

Many writers and politicians have condemned the attack and view it as an assault on the freedom of expression. See here for Reuters’ compilation of quotes and reactions.

Pen America, along with his publisher (Penguin Random House), hosted an event on the steps of the iconic Bryant Park branch of the New York Public Library yesterday. Writers stood in solidarity and read his work. I watched for a bit.

See livestream replay here:

““We stand with Salman in an effort to boost his spirits but also in a determination to stiffen our spines.” Suzanne Nossel, Pen America’s CEO, said in her opening remarks.

I have not read The Satantic Verses myself, but I do care about protecting the freedom of expression. I deeply respect writers and journalists, who take tremendous risks to tell the truth and publish their work. “Freedom of expression” or “free speech” has been recently been misused in philosophical debates about social media platforms in order to amplify harmful content with limited responsibility. Beyond just using “free speech” to advance one’s arguments in tweets, this is what protecting “free speech” looks like – making sure people like Salman aren’t stabbed on stage. The risks to freedom of expression are physical, visceral, and real.

I have a lot to learn here. I’ve read some interesting stats in terms of the number of times he’s been moved and the threats to his publisher – which I will add on a later date. Here’s coverage by the Times, Guardian, Reuters, and Yahoo.

The world awaits. I hope he recovers as fully and smoothly as possible.