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Salman Rushdie’s book ‘The Satanic Verses’ has been banned in Iran since 1988.
Many Muslims believe that Salman Rushdie committed blasphemy through this.
The then supreme religious leader of Iran issued a fatwa against Rushdie.
New York. Famous English writer Salman Rushdie was attacked by a man during an event in New York City, USA on Friday. Mumbai-born and Booker Prize winner Rushdie (75) was about to begin his lecture at the Chautauqua Institute in western New York when a man stormed the stage and punched Rushdie and stabbed him. Rushdie suffered a neck injury. He was being introduced in the program at that time. He was apprehended by those present in the attack and later taken into custody. Rushdie was given first aid on stage. In a video posted online, attendees can be seen running towards the stage soon after the incident. It is said that the attack was caught by the people present there.
New York Police issued a statement saying they are investigating the attack on writer Salman Rushdie. New York Police said, “At approximately 11:00 a.m. on August 12, 2022, a suspect climbed onto the stage and attacked Rushdie and the person who interviewed him. Rushdie was stabbed in the neck. He was immediately taken into custody on suspicion of assault. There is a small A in Rushdie’s bounty. Rushdie is taken by helicopter to a local hospital. There is no information about his condition yet. At the same time, the person interviewing has suffered minor injuries. Teams from the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office are at the scene.
Rushdie’s controversial book The Satanic Verses has been banned in Iran since 1988. Many Muslims believe that Rushdie committed blasphemy through this book. Iran’s supreme leader at the time, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khamenei, issued a fatwa to punish Rushdie for this. The person who killed Rushdie was also given a reward of more than US$3 million. Many Islamic leaders have issued fatwas against him.
Iran’s government has distanced itself from Khamenei’s decree, but anti-Rush sentiment remains among the people. In 2012, a semi-official Iranian religious foundation increased the prize for Rushdie from $2.8 million to $3.3 million. However, Rushdie dismissed the threat at the time, saying there was no evidence that people were interested in the reward. That year, Rushdie published Joseph Anton, a memoir about the fatwas. She was awarded the prestigious Booker Prize for Salman Rushdie’s book ‘Midnight’s Children’.
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tags: new york, Salman Rushdie
First Published: August 12, 2022, 21:02 IST
