Since 1989, Salman Rushdie has lived under the shadow of a death threat due to his controversial writings. When he faced a near-fatal stabbing, his immediate reaction was, "So it's you."
Rushdie shared his reflections on this life-altering incident in his new book, "Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder," which is slated for release on Tuesday (April 16).
During an appearance on the CBS News program "60 Minutes," Rushdie read an excerpt from his book describing his assailant as a man in black clothes who approached him "coming in hard and low" like a "squat missile."
"I confess, 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,'" Rushdie recounted.
Rushdie, originally from Mumbai and famous for his novel "Midnight's Children," faced severe backlash from the Muslim community after publishing "The Satanic Verses" in 1988. The book's dream sequences concerning early Islam and the Prophet Mohammed led Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, Iran's revolutionary leader, to issue a fatwa in 1989 urging Muslims to kill Rushdie, forcing him into hiding in Britain. He later became a naturalised American.
In recent years, Rushdie lived with less secrecy and became well-known on the New York social scene. He was attacked in August 2022 while preparing to speak at a cultural event in New York state.
Discussing the attack on "60 Minutes," Rushdie shared a comment from one of his life-saving surgeons: "'First you were really unlucky and then you were really lucky.'"
When Rushdie asked about the lucky part, the surgeon explained, "'Well, the lucky part is that the man who attacked you had no idea how to kill a man with a knife.'"
(AFP)
Moglai Bap and Mo Chara of Kneecap perform at Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm in Pilton, Somerset, Britain, June 28, 2025. REUTERS/Jaimi Joy
Police may probe anti-Israel comments at Glastonbury
BRITISH police said they were considering whether to launch an investigation after performers at Glastonbury Festival made anti-Israel comments during their shows.
"We are aware of the comments made by acts on the West Holts Stage at Glastonbury Festival this afternoon," Avon and Somerset Police, in western England, said on X late on Saturday (28).
Irish hip-hop group Kneecap and punk duo Bob Vylan made anti-Israeli chants in separate shows on the West Holts stage on Saturday. One of the members of Bob Vylan chanted "Death, death, to the IDF" in a reference to the Israel Defense Forces.
"Video evidence will be assessed by officers to determine whether any offences may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation," the police statement said.
The Israeli Embassy in Britain said it was "deeply disturbed by the inflammatory and hateful rhetoric expressed on stage at the Glastonbury Festival".
Prime minister Keir Starmer said earlier this month it was "not appropriate" for Kneecap to appear at Glastonbury.
The band's frontman Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh was charged with a terrorism offence last month for allegedly displaying a flag in support of Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah at a concert in November. He has denied the charge.
A British government minister said it was appalling that the anti-Israel chants had been made at Glastonbury, and that the festival's organisers and the BBC broadcaster - which is showing the event - had questions to answer.
Health secretary Wes Streeting said he was also appalled by violence committed by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank.
"I'd also say to the Israeli Embassy, get your own house in order in terms of the conduct of your own citizens and the settlers in the West Bank," Streeting told Sky News.
"I wish they'd take the violence of their own citizens towards Palestinians more seriously," he said.
(Reuters)