Ex-Muslim author Salman Rushdie stabbed on stage in New York (VIDEO)

Aug 12 2022, 4:14 pm

Editor’s note: This article includes video that may be upsetting to some readers.


Novelist Salman Rushdie was stabbed in the neck by a man just before he was about to deliver a lecture at a literary event on Friday.

Rushdie was at the Chautauqua Institution in New York, and was being introduced to his audience when a man pushed him to the floor and assaulted him. Blood stains can be seen on the wall behind him in photos and videos taken after the attack.

According to AP, the 75-year-old was “surrounded by a small group of people who held up his legs, presumably to send more blood to his chest.” As of now, his condition is unknown.

A video of the attack was also posted by someone in the audience. People can be seen getting up from their seats and screaming as they saw the stabbing occur on stage.

The author has been receiving death threats since a fatwa was issued against him in 1988 for his book The Satanic Verses, which was considered blasphemous by the Muslim community. Issued by Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the fatwa prompted a call for his killing. A US$3 million bounty remains on the writer’s head.

Rushdie was born to a Kashmiri Muslim family, but renounced his faith — an offence punishable by death in many Muslim countries. After the release of The Satanic Verses, he has been targeted multiple times, with one assassination attempt occurring in August 1989.

A bomb set up to kill him at a London hotel exploded before he was in its vicinity. The author dodged death, but his attacker — a member of the Mujahidin of Islam — died in the blast and was hailed as a martyr.

Rushdie has been on the hit lists of several extremist groups, including Al Qaeda.

His counterparts and industry peers are expressing concern for his wellbeing.

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