New York: Salman Rushdie, in a poignant recollection of the harrowing stabbing incident that unfolded at a literary festival in 2022, vividly described his assailant’s approach as akin to a “squat missile”. Rushdie, renowned for his literary prowess, shared his chilling account in an interview with CBS News ahead of the release of his book titled “Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder”. Reflecting on the moment he laid eyes on his attacker, Rushdie’s initial thought was a resigned recognition: “So it’s you.”
“I had sometimes imagined my assassin rising up in some public forum or other, and coming for me in just this way. So my first thought when I saw this murderous shape rushing towards me was, ‘So it’s you. Here you are,'” expressed the British-Indian novelist in his first televised interview following the assault.
Also Read | US Airlines Urge Biden Administration: Hold Off on More Flights to China — Here’s Why
The incident unfolded as Rushdie stood poised to deliver a lecture at the Chautauqua Institution in New York, where he was abruptly attacked on stage. The assailant, identified as 24-year-old Hadi Matar, purportedly harbored sympathies towards Shia extremism and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Rushdie endured multiple stab wounds, resulting in the loss of vision in one eye and sensation in some fingers.
Recounting the ordeal, Rushdie vividly described how “the last thing my right eye would ever see” was a figure clad in black, hurtling towards him with relentless force, resembling a “squat missile”.
Also Read | Tensions Mount as Russia Sets Preconditions for Renewing Key Nuclear Treaty with US
Despite the severity of his injuries, Rushdie was informed by medical professionals that he had narrowly escaped death, as his attacker lacked the expertise to wield a knife lethally. “First you were really unlucky, and then you were really lucky,” remarked one of the surgeons, encapsulating the precarious balance between fate and fortune.
The Mumbai-born author, celebrated for his seminal work “Midnight’s Children”, has long grappled with threats to his life, particularly following the publication of his controversial novel “The Satanic Verses” in 1988. The book’s portrayal of religious themes sparked outrage in Iran and various Muslim-majority countries, resulting in its banishment and condemnation as blasphemous.
Also Read | US Officials Allege China’s Support in Russia’s Major Military Expansion Amid Ukraine Concerns
The precariousness of Rushdie’s existence was underscored in 1989 when Iran’s Supreme Leader at the time, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, issued a fatwa calling for his execution. This decree precipitated a chilling bounty of over $3 million on Rushdie’s head, casting a shadow of fear and uncertainty over his life.
