On August 12, 2022, novelist Salman Rushdie was stabbed multiple times as he was about to give a public lecture at the Chautauqua Institution in Chautauqua, New York, United States.[4][5][6] A 24-year-old suspect, Hadi Matar, was arrested directly and charged the following day with assault and attempted murder. Rushdie was gravely wounded and hospitalized. Interviewer Henry Reese was also injured by the attacker.
Rushdie, an Indian-born British-American, has been threatened with death since 1989, a year after the publication of his novel The Satanic Verses, when the Iranian Supreme LeaderAyatollahRuhollah Khomeini issued a fatwacalling for his assassination and set a bounty of $3 million for his death. For years, Rushdie had lived in hiding, taking strict security measures that gradually became more relaxed over time.
The government of Iran denied having foreknowledge of the stabbing, although state-controlled agencies of the Iranian media celebrated it. U.S. law enforcement is investigating whether the assailant was in contact with other extremists.
Rushdie had been living under threat of assassination since 1989.[7]The Satanic Verses, his fourth novel, garnered critical acclaim as well as threats from hardliner Shia Muslims upon its 1988 publication.[8]Ayatollah Khomeini, the Supreme Leader of Iran at the time, issued a 1989 fatwa calling for Rushdie's assassination,[9][10] forcing Rushdie into hiding for several years.[11]Hitoshi Igarashi, who translated The Satanic Verses in Japanese, was stabbed to death in July 1991. Ten days before, the book's Italian translator Ettore Capriolo was stabbed multiple times at his home in Milan.[12]
The Execution of Imam Khomeini's Order set a US$3million bounty on Rushdie, with the 15 Khordad Foundation offering to pay it.[13] The bounty against Rushdie has never been lifted, though in 1998, the government of Iran looked to distance itself from the fatwa and pledged no longer to urge that it be carried out. In 2017, however, the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, reaffirmed that the edict remained in effect, saying, "The decree is as Imam Khomeini issued."[14][15]
In the years prior to the stabbing, Rushdie traveled without a security detail, and the Chautauqua festival where he was speaking was known for its "accessible" and "relaxed environment".[2] Two weeks before he was stabbed, Rushdie told German current affairs magazine Stern that "nowadays my life is very normal again", and that social media would have made his life "more dangerous, infinitely more dangerous" had it existed in the 1980s.[16] According to the co-founder of City of Asylum, Henry Reese (who was scheduled to interview Rushdie), the novelist had promised him just before they went onstage together that he would tour the United States to create new opportunities for the asylum and protection of persecuted artists.[17]
Attack
Salman Rushdie (left) and Henry Reese (right) were injured
On August 12, 2022 at around 10:47a.m. EDT,[2] an attacker rushed the stage of Chautauqua Institution, where Rushdie was about to give a talk about the United States as a safe haven for exiled writers. The assailant stabbed him fifteen times with a knife, straining to continue the attack even as several people held him back.[2] One of these people was the co-founder of City of Asylum, Henry Reese, onstage at the time, about to begin interviewing Rushdie.[18] During the assault, Reese sustained a shallow knife wound and deep bruising in the vicinity of his right eye.[19][20] A doctor who was present for the lecture immediately tended to Rushdie.[21] AP reporter Joshua Goodman was present during the attack.[22]
Rushdie suffered four wounds to the stomach area of his abdomen, three wounds to the right side of the front part of his neck, one wound to his right eye, one wound to his chest and one wound to his right thigh.[27] He was flown by helicopter to UPMC Hamot, a tertiary-level hospital in Erie, Pennsylvania.[28]
The novelist's literary agent, Andrew Wylie, said on the evening of August 12 that Rushdie had undergone surgery, was on a ventilator, and was unable to speak. Wylie said that Rushdie faced the prospect of losing one of his eyes, in addition to the possibility of liver damage and multiple severed nerves in one arm.[2][4][29] On August 13, Wylie said that Rushdie had been taken off the ventilator and was able to speak and joke.[30][31]
On August 14, Wylie said that Rushdie was on the "road to recovery", adding, "it will be long; the injuries are severe, but his condition is headed in the right direction."[32] Rushdie's son Zafar said, "Though his life-changing injuries are severe, his usual feisty and defiant sense of humour remains intact".[33][34][35]
On October 23, Wylie reported that Rushdie had lost sight in one eye and the use of one hand.[36]
By February 6, 2023, Rushdie had recovered enough to appear in an interview with The New Yorker. Speaking about surviving the attack, he stated: "I'm lucky. What I really want to say is that my main overwhelming feeling is gratitude."[37][38]
The suspect, Hadi Matar, was charged in NY state court days later with both attempted second-degree murder and second-degree assault, and was remanded without bail.[41] In August 2022, Matar pleaded not guilty.[14][30]
In July 2024 Matar was indicted and charged in the Federal District Court for the Western District of New York with three crimes: Attempt to Provide Material Support to a Foreign Terrorist Organization; Act of Terrorism Transcending National Boundaries; and Providing Material Support to Terrorists. Attorney GeneralMerrick Garland stated that Matar's attempt to kill Rushdie was "an act of terrorism in the name of Hezbollah", a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). The indictment alleged that Matar was trying to carry out the Iranian fatwa calling for the death of Rushdie, and that he was influenced by a 2006 speech which endorsed it, given by Hezbollah's secretary-general, Hassan Nasrallah.[42][43][44][45]
Suspect
Hadi Matar, born in September 12, 1997,[44] is a dual national, a citizen of both the U.S. and Lebanon.[42] He was born in California to parents who emigrated from Yaroun, a mixed Shia-Christian village in the south of Lebanon where support for Hezbollah and the Iranian government is common.[30] Matar's father returned to his cinder-block home in Yaroun several years before the attack, and his mother and her three children had recently moved from California to New Jersey.[46][47] She told the MailOnline that, after a 2018 trip to Lebanon to visit his father, Matar had changed, becoming increasingly isolated and focused on his Islamic faith.[48][49]
A source in law enforcement told local news that Matar's social media accounts indicated support for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and for Shia extremism.[50] The New York Post, referencing law enforcement, reported that Matar expressed views in support of the Iranian government.[21] Matar was carrying a false driver's license using the same second name as that of the assassinated Hezbollah leader, Imad Mughniyeh.[51][52][53] Matar had obtained an advance pass to attend the event.[51][54][53]
Matar in an interview with the New York Post said that he was surprised that Rushdie had survived. He further added that he had read only "a couple pages" of The Satanic Verses, but he did not like Rushdie due to his criticism of Islam and had watched videos of him on YouTube.[55] Matar refused to say whether he had attacked Rushdie because of the fatwa against him, although Matar stated that he respected Khomeini, who had issued it.[56]
Response
United States
A spokesperson for U.S. President Joe Biden issued a statement condemning the attack.[57]United States Secretary of StateAntony Blinken vowed to use "every appropriate tool at our disposal" in response, and described Iran as culpable. He pointed out that "Iranian state institutions have incited violence against Rushdie for generations, and state-affiliated media recently gloated about the attempt on his life."[58] He called their behavior "despicable".[59][60]
Rushdie's son Zafar wrote "Free speech is the whole thing, the whole ball game. Free speech is life itself."[63] There were also calls by Muslim activists to condemn the attacker, not Islam or Muslims in general.[64]
On September 14, the Wall Street Journal reported that the "Biden administration is considering sanctions targeting entities linked to Iran for encouraging attacks on Salman Rushdie." The newspaper reported that "U.S. officials say elements of the Iranian regime are liable because of their support for the fatwa" against Rushdie.[58]
Iran
The government of Iran officially denied any involvement in the attack against Rushdie.[65] According to The Observer, senior officials in Iran linked the stabbing to nuclear talks between Iran and the United States.[66] Iranian-American political analyst Mohammad Marandi, a member of Iran's nuclear negotiations team, wrote: "I won't be shedding tears for a writer who spouts endless hatred & contempt for Muslims & Islam."[67] Marandi also alluded to a conspiracy theory suggesting that the action reflected an attempt by Iran's enemies to harm its image, writing "is it a coincidence that just when we are on the verge of revitalising the nuclear agreement, America makes claims about an attempted assassination of Bolton and then this happens?"[68] Marandi's statement referenced the United States Department of Justice's allegation that Iran had planned to assassinate US national security advisor John Bolton in 2020.[69]
The 15 Khordad Foundation, which had offered to pay the bounty on Rushdie, was silent after the attack and did not respond to press inquiries.[70][58]
Within Iran, conservative newspapers generally welcomed the attack, as well as the state broadcaster (who referred to Rushdie as an apostate), while reformist publications such as Etemad condemned it.[71][72][73][74][75]
Hezbollah
Hezbollah spokespeople did not respond to requests for comment,[30] but denied all involvement in the attack.[76]
In Lebanon, Iran-backed Hezbollah denied any prior knowledge of the incident.[85][86] However, Hezbollah supporters hailed the attacker on social media, calling him a hero, and using the hashtag "holy stabbing" in their posts.[87]
The CEO of PEN America commented, "We cannot immediately think of any comparable incident of a public violent attack on a writer during a literary event here in the United States."[2]The New York Times reported that the incident sent "ripples of 'shock and horror' through the literary world".[89] Nobel laureates Kazuo Ishiguro and Abdulrazak Gurnah were among the first to issue statements defending Rushdie, while his fellow Booker Prize winners Ian McEwan and Arundhati Roy also condemned the stabbing.[90] Shortly afterwards, other Booker Prize winners, such as Graham Swift, Margaret Atwood and Ben Okri, would also publish their responses to Rushdie's stabbing.[91][92][93] The home page of the Booker Prize's website was also updated to reflect the attack on its "most decorated author" and the website also published an article—written by the Booker Prize Foundation's literary director Gaby Wood—urging people to "celebrate his limitless imagination and his impact on the literary landscape".[94][95]
On the day of the attack, Islamic studies expert Kylie Moore-Gilbert wrote: "More than 30 years and a $3 million bounty later, Khomeini's poisonous fatwa has finally caught up with Salman Rushdie. A black day for freedoms of speech, expression, religion & conscience. A tragic day for literature."[96]Behrouz Boochani, an Iranian journalist in exile, condemned the stabbing of Rushdie, calling it an "attack on freedom of speech".[97]Hanif Kureishi declared that "The Satanic Verses is the rude contrary of the authoritarian lie".[98] Musician Cat Stevens, who had made comments seemingly endorsing violence against Rushdie in 1989, released a statement on social media condemning the attack and wishing Rushdie a full recovery.[99]
Two days after Rushdie was stabbed, France's Goncourt Academy issued a statement in which it said it "condemns the barbaric act for which there can be no justification ... [and] offers its unconditional support and solidarity" to Rushdie.[101]
The assault on Rushdie resulted in renewed interest in obtaining copies of The Satanic Verses, with the novel ranked number thirteen on Amazon.com by the afternoon after he was stabbed.[30] Within days, the novel's Spanish translation was a number one bestseller and other books written by Rushdie, including Midnight's Children, were also selling well, whereas on the day he was stabbed, his books were outside the top 100.[102]
Questions were raised after the stabbing of Rushdie about security at the event, although a state trooper and a sheriff's officer were present.[104] Michael Hill, president of the Chautauqua Institution, stated that the Institution had ensured that law enforcement officers were present for the event.[21] He described the assault on Rushdie as "unlike anything in [the institution's] nearly 150-year history".[21] However, one eyewitness claimed that there was no security onstage.[105][106] One attendee noted that while food and drinks were prevented from being brought into the event, there was no screening for weapons.[16]
It emerged that the leadership of the Chautauqua Institution disregarded recommendations for security precautions because they felt it would alienate the audience from the speakers.[107] Following the attack, the Chautauqua Institution announced that it would require guests to furnish photo IDs to buy gate passes, which previously could be purchased anonymously. Carried bags will also be banned in the amphitheater.[30]
Sir Ahmed Salman Rushdie is an Indian-born British-American novelist. His work often combines magic realism with historical fiction and primarily deals with connections, disruptions, and migrations between Eastern and Western civilizations, typically set on the Indian subcontinent. Rushdie's second novel, Midnight's Children (1981), won the Booker Prize in 1981 and was deemed to be "the best novel of all winners" on two occasions, marking the 25th and the 40th anniversary of the prize.
The Chautauqua Institution is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit education center and summer resort for adults and youth located on 2,070 acres (840 ha) in Chautauqua, New York, 17 miles (27 km) northwest of Jamestown in the western southern tier of New York state. Established in 1874, the institution was the home of, and provided the impetus for, the Chautauqua movement that became popular in the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Chautauqua Institution Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and was further designated a National Historic Landmark.
Hassan Nasrallah was a Lebanese cleric and politician who served as the secretary-general of Hezbollah, a Shia Islamist political party and militia, from 1992 until his assassination in 2024.
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The Satanic Verses is the fourth novel of the Indian-British writer Salman Rushdie. First published in September 1988, the book was inspired by the life of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. As with his previous books, Rushdie used magical realism and relied on contemporary events and people to create his characters. The title refers to the Satanic Verses, a group of Quranic verses about three pagan Meccan goddesses: Allāt, Al-Uzza, and Manāt. The part of the story that deals with the satanic verses was based on accounts from the historians al-Waqidi and al-Tabari.
Grand Ayatollah Mohammad Fazel Lankarani was an Iranian Twelver Shia Marja'. He was student of Grand Ayatollah Borujerdi. He was a child of a Persian mother and an Azerbaijani father.
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Hitoshi Igarashi was a Japanese scholar of Arabic and Persian literature and history and the Japanese translator of Salman Rushdie's novel The Satanic Verses. He was murdered in the wake of fatwas issued by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini of Iran – who, by the time of Igarashi's murder, had died – calling for the death of the book's author and "those involved in its publication." His murder remains unsolved.
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Kalim Siddiqui, Ph.D. was a Pakistani British writer and Islamic activist. He gained notability for his controversial support of the fatwa issued by Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini, which called for the assassination of British author Sir Salman Rushdie amidst the Satanic Verses controversy.
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The Satanic Verses controversy, also known as the Rushdie Affair, was a controversy sparked by the 1988 publication of Salman Rushdie's novel The Satanic Verses. It centered on the novel's references to the Satanic Verses, and came to include a larger debate about censorship and religious violence. It included numerous killings, attempted killings, and bombings by perpetrators who supported Islam.
In mid-June 2007, Salman Rushdie, the British-Indian novelist and author of the novel The Satanic Verses, was created a Knight Bachelor by Queen Elizabeth II. Soon after the news of the knighthood was released protests against the honour were held in Malaysia and in Pakistan where effigies of the writer were publicly burnt. On 19 June 2007, governments in both Pakistan and Iran summoned their British ambassadors to officially protest against the award. While many groups and individuals have renewed the call to execute Rushdie, the author "is not commenting on the latest threats to his life. It is understood he is anxious not to inflame the situation". When asked by the Associated Press if his silence was at the request of the British government, Rushdie replied by e-mail stating "The British authorities have not asked me to do or not do anything. I have simply chosen to remain out of this storm for the moment. And nobody is turning anything down." The media noted in July 2007 that Rushdie "has not been seen in public since the 16 June announcement of his knighthood." However, he was photographed receiving his knighthood formally the next year at a ceremony which, breaking with tradition, was not announced in advance of his attendance.
Following Ayatollah Khomeini's 14 February 1989 death fatwa against author Salman Rushdie, after the publication of Rushdie's novel The Satanic Verses, British musician Yusuf Islam, made statements endorsing the killing of Rushdie, generating sharp criticism from commentators in the West.
Mohammad Marandi is an Iranian-American academic and political analyst. He is the son of Alireza Marandi, a physician who has served in Iran's government as Minister of Health as well as a Member of Parliament.
Joseph Anton: A Memoir is an autobiographical book by the British Indian writer Salman Rushdie, first published in September 2012 by Random House. Rushdie recounts his time in hiding from ongoing threats to his life.
The Tailor of Panama is a 1996 novel by British writer John le Carré. A 2001 film was released based on the novel.
The 2022 Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to the French author Annie Ernaux "for the courage and clinical acuity with which she uncovers the roots, estrangements and collective restraints of personal memory". It was announced by the Swedish Academy on 6 October 2022. Ernaux was the 16th French writer – the first Frenchwoman – and the 17th female author, to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature.
Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder is an autobiographical book by the British Indian writer Salman Rushdie, first published in April 2024 by Jonathan Cape. The book recounts the stabbing attack on Rushdie in 2022. It hit number one in the Sunday Times Bestsellers List in the General hardbacks category.
Joshua Goodman is an American journalist with the Associated Press (AP) known for his coverage of Latin America. He has significant experience reporting on economic and political issues in the region. He is the news director for the Andean region for the AP and has held this position since 2016. He previously served as AP chief of bureau for Colombia, Venezuela and Panama.
↑ United States District Court for the Western District of New York (July 17, 2024). "Indictment: US v. Hadi Matar"(PDF). United States Department of Justice. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
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