Novelist Ahmed Salman Rushdie was reportedly injured before giving a speech in Chautauqua, New York.
An Associated Press reporter witnessed a man storm the stage at the Chautauqua Institute and begin punching or stabbing Salman Rushdie as he introduced himself. The writer was carried away or fell to the ground, and so the man was restrained.
Rushdie's book "The Satanic Verses" has been banned in Asian nations since 1988, as many Muslims consider it blasphemous. A year later, Iran's late religious leader Ruhollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued an opinion or order for Rushdie's death.
Iran has jointly offered a reward of more than $3 million if the World Health Organization kills Salman Rushdie. He was wounded multiple times before the attacker was subdued by security," author Carl Levan tweeted shortly after the stabbing. "Some intrepid audience members went on stage. What courage do people expect to defend even the smallest freedom?"
The Iranian government has long since distanced itself from Khomeini's decree, although anti-Rushdi sentiments persist. In 2012, a semi-governmental Iranian spiritual foundation raised $2.8 million to $3.3 million for Salman Rushdie.
Rushdie dismissed the threat at the time, saying there was "no evidence" of individuals being enamored of the prize. Powered bu New Sporting News
