I’ll update this post as more information comes out.
***UPDATE 7:08 PM: It looks like Rushdie is not doing well
Someone attacked author Salman Rushdie on stage before he was set to give a lecture at the Chautauqua Institution:
Salman Rushdie, the author whose writing led to death threats from Iran in the 1980s, was attacked Friday as he was about to give a lecture in western New York.An Associated Press reporter witnessed a man storm the stage at the Chautauqua Institution and begin punching or stabbing Rushdie as he was being introduced. The 75-year-old author was pushed or fell to the floor, and the man was restrained.Rushdie was quickly surrounded by a small group of people who held up his legs, presumably to send more blood to his chest.
Rushdie has been an enemy of Iran since 1988:
Rushdie’s book “The Satanic Verses” has been banned in Iran since 1988, as many Muslims consider it to be blasphemous. A year later, Iran’s late leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa, or edict, calling for Rushdie’s death.Iran has also offered over $3 million in reward for anyone who kills Rushdie.”Just witnessed the horrific assassination attempt on #SalmanRushdie’s life. He was stabbed multiple times before attacker was subdued by security,” author Carl Levan tweeted shortly after the stabbing. “Some intrepid members of audience went on stage. What courage will be expected of us next to defend even the smallest freedoms?”Iran’s government has long since distanced itself from Khomeini’s decree, but anti-Rushdie sentiment lingered. In 2012, a semi-official Iranian religious foundation raised the bounty for Rushdie from $2.8 million to $3.3 million.Rushdie dismissed that threat at the time, saying there was “no evidence” of people being interested in the reward.
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