Rushdie in court: shocking details of a knife attack!

Rushdie in court: shocking details of a knife attack!

Chautauqua, New York, USA - Salman Rushdie came in front of a US court in Mayville, New York on February 11, 2025, to report on the brutal knife attack, which he had happened in the Chautauqua institution in August 2022. The author described that he was attacked at least ten times with a knife and only noticed the last warning of the attacker, who was masked in black clothing and with a facial mask. Impressed by the attacker's eyes, Rushe experienced the cruel moment when he felt the stitches and later lay in a "lake of blood", as he reported. Although the alleged assassin, Hadi Matar, had only read two sides of Rushdie's controversial book "The Satanian Verse", Matar claimed that Rushdie had attacked Islam. After the attack, Rushdie remained blind on one eye and took months for the physical and psychological rehabilitation, which he addressed in his upcoming book "Knife: Thoughts after an attempt to murder" that was published in April 2024.

The 27-year-old Matar, a US citizen with Lebanese roots, has not guilty in the current procedure and is on trial for both attempted murder and assault. Because of the severity of the allegations, he threatens high punishments. So it happens that the indictment also contains terrorist aspects, since the US Ministry of Justice said Matar committed the attempt to murder as a "terrorist act on behalf of the Hisbollah". These allegations are related to the FATWA, which was issued in 1989 by the then Iranian Head of Ayatollah Khomeini, and in which Rushdies was called for the killing.

Fatwa and their backgrounds

The Fatwa, which has been pursuing rushdie since the publication of "Die Satanian Verse" in 1988, was viewed internationally as a sign of the discussion about freedom of expression and religious tolerance. According to a report of the Minhaj Books supported the Libanese Hisbollah, which made the case all the more complicated. Matar is said to have even provided resources for the Hezbollah since September 2020 to put the FATWA into practice. In court, the participation of prominent cadres of the Hezbollah, such as the Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah, is also taken into account, which gave a speech in 2006 that was used as a source of motivation for the attack.

rushdie, who not only struggles with physical wounds, but also with profound psychological catering of his near -death experience, is often seen as a symbol of the fighting for freedom of expression and the protection of writers. The author's supporters emphasize the need to condemn such attacks and defend the freedom of the word. While the trial against Matar continues, the whole world remains spellbound on the next course and the other revelations in Rushdie's ambitious work and the possible legal consequences for Matar.