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 killers. His Japanese translator was murdered in Tokyo. His Norwegian publisher was shot three times.

And then the worst happened. In August 2022, he was attacked in the USAThe United States of America is a country in North America. It has a population of 329 million. . He was stabbed 12 times - but there was some good luck this time. He survived.

The attacks on Rushdie are not really down to luck. In 1989, the leader of Iran issued a ruling, or 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 Rushdie.

He was angry about Rushdie's book The Satanic Verses. Published in 1988, the book appears to mock some of the key beliefs of Muslims.

Rushdie decided to continue writing, even though he was in danger. Now he has written a non-fiction book about the attack, called Knife.

He continues to talk about free speech. "Terrorism must not terrorise us. Violence must not deter us," he says.

Some remain unconvinced that The Satanic Verses was a book worth writing. It offended so many that it might not be published today. But others say nobody should feel threatened for voicing their beliefs: it is one of our most basic rights.

Is free speech sacred?

Yes! As a society, we cannot exist without freedom of speech. We need to be able to say how we feel even if others will not like it.

No! There is no point in writing books that will offend others just for the sake of offending them. It does not change anyone's mind and only divides people.