Hadi Matar, the man who attacked Salman Rushdie in 2022, was found guilty of attempted murder and assault. The jury reached their decision after just two hours of deliberation in Chautauqua County Court. Matar could face up to 30 years in prison for his actions, according to NBC News.
The incident took place on August 12, 2022, at the Chautauqua Institution in New York, where Rushdie was scheduled to speak at a literary festival.
During his testimony, Rushdie recalled seeing Matar before the attack. He described Matar’s eyes as “dark and ferocious” as he rushed toward him with a knife. Rushdie remembered lying in a “lake of blood” and desperately trying to protect himself, ultimately sustaining stab wounds to his hand. At that moment, he feared he was dying.
After the brutal attack, Rushdie spent 17 days in the hospital and still struggles with the effects, including losing vision in one eye and limited use of his right hand.
This attack was not unexpected for Rushdie. He had lived under the threat of violence for decades since the 1989 publication of his novel “The Satanic Verses,” which led to a fatwa issued by Iranian leader Ayatollah Khomeini calling for his death. Rushdie went into hiding after the fatwa but resumed a more public life after the Iranian government lifted it in 1998. He has lived in New York City since 2000 and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2007 for his contributions to literature.
In 2022, Rushdie released a memoir titled “Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder,” where he reflects on the assault and its impact on his life.
Source link
Salman Rushdie, Chautauqua Institution, Hadi Matar, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, attempted murder
India
From India to Australia: How One Commentator Found Their True Sense of Belonging