Salman Rushdie Attacked.

What culture nurtured the attacker? If he had been through an adequate liberal education he'd have celebrated an author who questioned tradition.

The fatwa had never been revoked. But I guess he thought he was safe after all these years. Shocking.

I'm afraid there are still very strong feelings about that book even now. I saw a programme on TV where a young trendy, modern young Muslim presenter went around Bradford waving the book and asking people what they felt about it. He was attacked in an aggressive way, and the guy grabbed the book in full view of the camera and tore it up in front of him.

Guardian reports Iran revoked the fatwa in 1991 if I remember right . I'll check.

@Chestnut Do you remember the name of the TV show?

"Notably, reformist President Mohammad Khatami’s foreign minister in 1998 said that the “government disassociates itself from any reward which has been offered in this regard and does not support it”.

Sir Salman slowly began to re-emerge into public life around that time. But some in Iran have never forgotten the fatwa against him."

(Googled)

The attack on Salman Rushdie is going to reflect badly on Iran in its international relations.

Even if the attacker turns out to be mad the attack has brought Iran's theocracy into disrepute.

It’s a disgraceful state of affairs when people are attacked/murdered for expressing their legitimate views. The killing of Jamal Khashoggi is another victim to the type of thinking that says people can be killed for their views, particularly their views about their religion. Hitler condoned the burning of books and what do we see on our screens? Salman Rushdie’s books being burned along with the flags of other nation states. What a world we inhabit.

Jesus too knew all about the danger of expressing legitimate views.

It's a case of if you don't agree with me you'll die.

i remember all the hoo-haa at the time when that book came out.
i didn't read it, didn't sound like the kind of thing i would like.
at that time i vaguely thought the author was vain and arrogant for writing something that he knew would cause such offence.
many people died around the world in protests.
he didn't seem to properly consider the effect it would have, negative effect, causing riots in which people were killed, probably bystanders, also on his own wife and son.
perhaps he was naive. yet so obviously clever and well read generally, people can have blind spots.
i thought why didn't he choose to write something else; he is obviously a very accomplished writer.
then quite by chance, watching bbc programmes on the partition of india, i saw midnight's children. and there was interviews with him at the time he won the booker prize for that book.
he looked and sounded quite different; strangely, similar to a friend of mine at the time.
so i felt more sympathetic towards him.
now this terrible news. i do hope he pulls through.

We must support free speech and free writing otherwise democracy - not perfect, I know - is at risk. If the Iranian government failed to make the fatwa of no effect as they claimed in 1991 they cannot be trusted in signing a treaty about nuclear nonproliferation. Sanctions should continue until their medieval regime disappears. Their ayatollah should be treated as a terrorist.

Unfortunately Caleo the 'reward' is still on the table, it should have been rescinded.

When the fatwa was issues, I was living and working in a majority Gujarati area of Batley, West Yorkshire.

Local children came and smashed bottles in my front yard, and when asked why, they said it was because of Salman Rushdie.

I never quite got why I, an ethnic Scot, should suffer racist attacks because of an ethnic Indian.

I tried to read the book but found I didn't take to his style at all.

That anecdote aside, I am horrified at this attack, for whatever reason it was committed.

This attack is appalling, and hopefully the guilty person is in custody, and Salman Rushdie will live, and recover. However - and this in no way attempts to migtigate what has happened - I have wondered since the original furore about 'The Satanic Verses' why Salman Rushdie, born into this incredibly sensitive and easily inflamed faith, chose to write as he did. He, above all, must have known that controversy would be the least reaction he might expect.

Ailidh, possibly for the same reason that a student dd and female friends, had young boys of no more than 10 or 12, of Asian families, yelling things like, ‘Dirty white whore!’ at them, in a street in Nottingham.

Entrenched prejudice, presumably learned from their elders.

Sadly Grantanow Johnson's governments attacks on freedom of speech ,anti protest ect will make us just as bad as Iran .Time the people of the "united" Kingdom opened their eyes and kicked the tories to the kerb before its too late .Democracy is under threat here and has been for a long time

He is a brave man and the attack is appalling. I dont understand how people can say but its offensive. Numerous posts on here offend me, so what. Free speech is in my opinion one of the most important parts of our democracy.

paddyann, all the ills of this world according to you are the fault of the Westminster government ! I don't think think even you can blame this appalling attack on Boris/ the tories!!! It has deep historic roots and for the last umpteen years was unfortunately an accident waiting to happen.

Attacks on freedom of speech and protest are hardly in the same vein as a death sentence and the substantial reward for whoever manages to carry it out paddyann

Witzend- how horrible for them. An I'm sure you're right.

Nicola Sturgeon launched her own attack on freedom of speech with her Hate Crime Bill! No doubt Westminster made her do it.

As for Mr Rushdie, this attack on him is appalling. Why shouldn’t people write controversial things? Like Galaxy, I read or see things I find offensive but the other party is entitled to say what they wish, just as I am entitled to disagree.

paddyann54

Sadly Grantanow Johnson's governments attacks on freedom of speech ,anti protest ect will make us just as bad as Iran .Time the people of the "united" Kingdom opened their eyes and kicked the tories to the kerb before its too late .Democracy is under threat here and has been for a long time

I agree. They aren’t even hiding the fact that they’re doing it but the electorate don’t seem to care.