Salman Rushdie, and The Violence Against Intellectualism

Salman Rushdie was stabbed multiple times on stage yesterday in upstate New York. The attack was so gruesome, there were blood marks left on the screen behind him. Now, the author is on a ventilator with severed nerves, a damaged liver, and potentially could lose an eye.

All of this, due to literature that questioned organized religion. That is the best assumption, given the numerous attempts on his life. The Satanic Verses is a book banned in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sudan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Thailand, Tanzania, Indonesia, Singapore, Venezuela.

In 1991, Hitoshi Igarashi was brutally stabbed to death, after publishing a translated Japanese version of The Satanic Verses. There is a trend of violence used against those who choose to speak out against such organized structures that cause a multitude of issues worldwide. Meanwhile, the Iranian press praise the attack. The state-ran Kayhan newspaper reads, ““A thousand bravos ... to the brave and dutiful person who attacked the apostate and evil Salman Rushdie in New York," adding, “The hand of the man who tore the neck of God's enemy must be kissed.”

Those who question supposed certainties, seek truth, and aim to educate via writing are vital to progress. Without them, the world would be far more confused and lost. The violence against curious humanists, seeking discourse around progress versus antiquated solutions is an attack on intellectualism, and a worrisome trend globally.