Poignant And Chilling Testimony From Salman Rushdie

India-West News Desk

NEW YORK, NY – Sir Salman Rushdie testified on February 11 in the trial of Hadi Matar, the man accused of attempting to kill him during a literary event in Chautauqua, New York, in August 2022. The attack came 33 years after Iranian religious leaders issued a fatwa calling for Rushdie’s death following the publication of his novel The Satanic Verses. Rushdie, 77, took the witness stand in a highly publicized case in which Matar, 27, faces charges of attempted murder and assault, The Guardian reported.

Matar was seated with his defence team at Rushdie’s far right. Neither Rushdie nor Matar looked at each other during his testimony, with Matar often looking down, the BBC said.

Matar, a dual U.S.-Lebanese citizen, has pleaded not guilty to the charges. As he was brought into court, he muttered, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” Rushdie’s wife, Rachel Griffiths, and his agent, Andrew Wylie, were present in the gallery, surrounded by heavy security, The Guardian reported.

Rushdie recounted the brutal attack in chilling detail, describing how he was preparing to speak on stage about themes of shelter and home when Matar, with a bag of knives, approached him and began his assault. Speaking clearly in the courtroom, Rushdie remembered a man with “dark hair and dark clothes,” his “eyes dark and ferocious.” Initially, Rushdie thought he had been punched, but soon realized he was bleeding heavily as Matar repeatedly slashed at him, The Guardian said.

As the attack continued, Rushdie struggled to defend himself. “I was stabbed repeatedly, most painfully in my eye,” he testified. “I held up my hand in self-defense and was stabbed through that.” He was struck at least 15 times, including a severe wound to his right eye that resulted in permanent blindness on that side. Rushdie described a sense of time becoming “cloudy” as he lay in a pool of blood, convinced he was dying, The Guardian reported. He was eventually placed on a gurney and transported by emergency helicopter to the hospital, where he spent more than two weeks recovering.

Rushdie’s testimony was followed by brief cross-examination. He acknowledged that false memories can occur, citing his initial misrecollection of standing to face Matar. However, he confirmed that he had never had contact with Matar before the attack, and that the assailant had not spoken to him during the assault, The Guardian said.

In his recent memoir Knife, Rushdie reflects on the attack, his recovery, and the emotional weight of confronting his attacker in court. A prosecutor noted that Rushdie suffered extreme blood loss and injuries to vital organs, any of which could have been fatal.