Author of the controversial book ‘The Satanic Verses’ Salman Rushdie has been attacked in New York City (NYC) when he was about to give a lecture. A man swiftly came to the stage at the Chautauqua Institution and stabbed Rushdie as he was being introduced.
“Rushdie suffered an apparent stab wound to the neck and was transported by helicopter to an area hospital. His condition is not yet known,” New York State Police said in a statement.
Update: New York Governor Kathy Hochul says author Salman Rushdie is alive after being stabbed while speaking at a lecture in western New York.
Who is Salman Rushdie?
Salman Rushdie is an Indian-born writer and novelist. His controversial novel, The Satanic Verses (1988) caused protests around the world.
Death threats were made against him, including a fatwa calling for his assassination issued by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the Supreme Leader of Iran, in 1989.
The British government put Rushdie under police protection. Since 2000, Rushdie has lived in the United States. He was named Distinguished Writer in Residence at the Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute of New York University in 2015. Earlier, he taught at Emory University.
He was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters. In 2012, he published Joseph Anton: A Memoir, an account of his life in the wake of the controversy over The Satanic Verses.
The Satanic Verses and Muslim sentiments
The Satanic Verses is the fourth novel by Salman Rushdie. It was published in September 1988 and it hurt the sentiments of Muslims around the world and caused worldwide protests.
