Is free speech sacred? “Language was my knife,” says 76-year-old Salman Rushdie in a dazzling comeback after the attempt on his life less than two years ago.
If you did not know the author Salman Rushdie, you might think him the unluckiest man in the world.
He had to move house 30 times between 1989 and 1998 to avoid would-be assassins. His Japanese translator was murdered in Tokyo. His Norwegian publisher was shot three times. His Italian translator was stabbed in Milan.
A trail of destruction followed Rushdie wherever he went. And then the worst happened. In August 2022, he was attacked in New York State. His assailant stabbed him 12 times, including in his neck and abdomenThe tummy or midriff. .
His wife was told that he would not live. But amid worldwide support, Rushdie miraculously pulled through. Finally, some good luck.
In reality, nothing that happened to Salman Rushdie came down to luck at all. On Valentine’s Day, 1989, Iran’s Supreme Leader, AyatollahA title given to senior clergymen in Iran. Ayatollah Khameini’s predecessor as Supreme Leader was Ayatollah Khomeini. Ruhollah Khomeini, issued a fatwaA word used in Islam to describe any legal opinion. The fatwa issued by Ayatollah Khomeini calling for all Muslims to kill author Salman Rushdie in 1989 created a misconception in the West that a fatwa is a kind of death warrant. ordering Muslims around the world to kill the controversial author.
Rushdie spent decades outrunning his attackers, living in police protection and avoiding any public appearances. Three decades on, many had thought the threat to his life was over.
The Ayatollah’s ire was inspired by Rushdie’s novel The Satanic Verses. Published in 1988, the divisiveCausing people to be split into groups that disagree with or oppose each other. book appears to mock some of the most sensitive tenetsA principle or belief, especially one of the main principles of a religion or philosophy. of Islam, including challenging the divinity of the QuranThe holy book of Islam, whose words are believed by Muslims to have been passed directly from God to the Prophet Muhammad in a series of visions spanning 23 years..
The Satanic Verses inspired worldwide outrage, including protests, book burnings, and outright bans. Its ripples spread across the world: as a result of the Rushdie controversy, Iran and the UK broke diplomaticNon-violent peacekeeping. Diplomatic means keeping good relations between the governments of different countries. relations in 1989.
But Rushdie was unfazed: “I wish I had written a more critical book,” he quipped in 1989.1 It is with this same defiance that he now returns to the public eye with his memoir, Knife.
The memoir is a tell-all account of the attack, the process of recovery, and the “miracle” of survival. Rushdie continues to advocate for free speech: “Terrorism must not terrorise us. Violence must not deter us. The struggle goes on,” he says.2
He speaks too on the power of literature. Feeling that he was somehow protected by the magic of his novels, he remarks “maybe my books saved my life”.
Some remain unconvinced that The Satanic Verses was a novel worth writing. If it had been written today, they claim, it would probably not have been published. Many would think it was not worth offending so many merely for the sake of art.
Others see Rushdie as a near-martyrA person who is killed due to their beliefs, especially their religious beliefs. for the cause of liberty. Nobody should feel threatened for voicing their beliefs: it is one of our most basic rights.
Is free speech sacred?
Knife strife
Yes: As a society, we simply cannot function without freedom of speech. We need to be able to express how we feel even if some will not like it. It is one of our most basic and inviolable rights.
No: There is no point in offence for the sake of offence. It does not achieve anything, does not change minds, and only inspires division and outrage. There are lines we should never cross.
Or… This speaks not just to freedom of speech, but to the freedom of art and literature. Representing an existing view or prejudice within a book is simply providing a reflection of the real world and should not be seen as an endorsement automatically.
Keywords
Abdomen – The tummy or midriff.
Ayatollah – A title given to senior clergymen in Iran. Ayatollah Khameini’s predecessor as Supreme Leader was Ayatollah Khomeini.
Fatwa – A word used in Islam to describe any legal opinion. The fatwa issued by Ayatollah Khomeini calling for all Muslims to kill author Salman Rushdie in 1989 created a misconception in the West that a fatwa is a kind of death warrant.
Divisive – Causing people to be split into groups that disagree with or oppose each other.
Tenets – A principle or belief, especially one of the main principles of a religion or philosophy.
Quran – The holy book of Islam, whose words are believed by Muslims to have been passed directly from God to the Prophet Muhammad in a series of visions spanning 23 years.
Diplomatic – Non-violent peacekeeping. Diplomatic means keeping good relations between the governments of different countries.
Martyr – A person who is killed due to their beliefs, especially their religious beliefs.
- Quoted in The Guardian.
- Quoted in The Independent.
