Salman Rushdie was attacked while giving a lecture in New York on Friday. But who is the author that had to go into hiding?
On Friday, author Rushdie was attacked on stage during an event in New York. Immediately taken to hospital, his life hung in the balance after it was revealed he had been stabbed in the neck. Although not completely out of the woods, the 75-year-old was taken off his ventilator on Saturday morning and is believed to speaking the odd word.
The attack came after years of death threats and a fatwa of £3 million placed on his head by ex-Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Having had to go into hiding for nearly ten years in the 90s, Rushdie’s career has been littered with danger, but why?
The Satanic Verses
Rushdie’s career began in the 1980s and his second book, Midnight’s Children, won The Booker Prize in 1981. Deemed one of the greatest books ever written, his work is defined by magic realism and colonial themes. The Indian-born writer has never shied away from the hard-hitting realities of colonialism and religion. This is never more clearer than in The Satanic Verses.
Published in 1988, The Satanic Verses was Rushdie’s fourth novel. Although the book was a critical success, it was labelled blasphemous by some of the Islamic community and resulted in numerous failed assassination attempts on the author, including the one on Friday.
Less than a year later, a fatwa ordering his death was issued by the then Supreme Leader of Iran. The threat to Rushdie’s life became so severe that he was forced into hiding for almost ten years, living under police protection in the UK.
Over the years, bookstores selling the book have been firebombed and those associated with translating or distributing the book have also been attacked.
Knighthood
In 2007, Rushdie was knighted for services to literature in the Queen’s Birthday Honours. The honour was largely protested and reignited death threats. Many Parliamentarians from the countries that condemned the honour sent their British Envoys to formally protest the action.
However, it was only this year that Rushdie received another honour. In her Birthday Honours List, the Queen appointed Rushdie a Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour.
Friday’s Attack
On Friday, the author was severely injured after being stabbed multiple times, most fatally in the neck. After being rushed to hospital, the author now appears to be on the road to recovery. His son, Zafar Rushdie, tweeted a statement from the family yesterday:
The person accused of stabbing the author more than ten times is being held without bail. The BBC are reporting that he is currently pleading not guilty to attempted murder.