Satan’s Eye Has Been Blinded

After 34 years the apostate author of “The Satanic Verses,” which openly insulted the Prophet of Islam, has finally met the blade of justice. Salman Rushdie was on stage during a ceremony* when he was attacked and stabbed repeatedly. He is currently unable to speak and will likely lose sight in one of his eyes. Rushdie’s literary agent, Andrew Wylie, said in an email after the attack that Rushdie was breathing through a ventilator machine, would probably lose sight in one eye, the nerves in one of his arms were severed and his liver was damaged by the stabbing.

Where Is Rushdie’s Attacker from?

Ali Kassem Tohfa, a local official from the village of Yaroun in southern Lebanon, said during an interview with the news agency Elnashra that Hadi Matar, who attacked the apostate writer Rushdie, who insulted the Dear Prophet, has Lebanese origins. Tohfa said that “the mother and father of young Hadi Matar, who attacked the (obscene) Salman Rushdie with a knife, are from the region of Yaroun, but Hadi was born in America, grew up there and has never been to Lebanon.” By this time the New Jersey police chief** in the U.S. had announced that a 24-year-old man by the name of Matar, a New Jersey resident, had attacked Rushdie. The prosecutor of Chautauqua, New York, has charged Matar with second degree attempted murder.

Western Leaders’ Support for the Offensive Writer

The attack on the apostate Rushdie shocked Western leaders, many of whom supported him without referencing his previous insolence and affronts to the Prophet of Islam in his offensive book. French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on Twitter that “His (Rushdie’s) fight is our fight; it is universal. Now more than ever, we stand by his side.” British Prime Minister Boris Johnson also expressed his disgust at Rushdie’s injury and tweeted his hope that the Indian-born writer’s condition would improve. White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said in a brief statement that “All of us in the Biden-Harris Administration are praying for his speedy recovery.”

Media Deception against Iran

It is possible that the attack on Rushdie and the recent allegations of an assassination attempt against John Bolton could all be an attempt to tar Iran’s reputation and that U.S. and Zionist Regime intelligence agencies could be behind it all. Nevertheless, these incidents have made it clear that despite the intense security measures protecting these figures, they can still become victims of the U.S.’ overambitious policies, and their position as important individuals makes no difference. Mohammad Marandi, adviser to the Iranian nuclear negotiations team, tweeted “I won't be shedding tears for a writer who spouts endless hatred & contempt for Muslims & Islam. A pawn of empire who poses as a Postcolonial novelist. But, isn't it odd that as we near a potential nuclear deal, the US makes claims about a hit on Bolton... and then this happens?” Foreign policy analyst Reza Nasri wrote, “Watch how the pro-Israel anti-JCPOA clique will link the attack on #SalmanRushdie to Iran, and then to the nuclear agreement! It's very probable that recent ‘plots’ against Alinejad, Bolton, Pompeo and now Rushdie were orchestrated by Israeli intelligence to undermine diplomacy.” On the other hand, political expert Amirali Abolfath wrote that “The ‘butterfly effect’ theory states that any two incidents anywhere in the world could be linked, including the future of the JCPOA and the attack on Salman Rushdie. However, the attack on Rushdie is too large to have been set up just to sabotage the JCPOA talks. For those opposed to the JCPOA, any small incident would have sufficed." Abdollah Ganji, a political activist, also wrote about the attack on Rushdie: “The assailant has no link to Iran. If a Muslim sees an appropriate chance to carry out the Imam’s fatwa and does so, it doesn’t mean that it’s linked to the JCPOA, it’s not like they need permission."

Rushdie published the obscene book “The Satanic Verses” in 1988, a book that throughout insulted the Prophet of Islam and triggered the anger of Muslims around the world. After this affront by Rushdie, he was forced to live under strict security measures, and the British government, which had paved the way for the publishing of this offensive book, took on the burden of paying the extravagant costs for his security while Rushdie was repeatedly forced to change residence.

Takeaways from Rushdie’s Punishment

1. The assailant was not a professional actor. Takeaway: Any normal person could carry out the next mission of retribution. 2. He is young and was born after Rushdie’s sentence for apostasy. Takeaway: Retribution is a goal which extends from generation to generation. 3. The attack took place in New York, one of the most secure cities*** in the U.S., not in Rushdie’s miserable home. Takeaway: The next attack could happen anywhere, for example, Mar-a-Lago in Florida, Tel Aviv, etc. 4. The operation took place after 34 years. Takeaway: The punishment of criminals may not be immediate, but it will certainly happen eventually. 5. It is notable that this mission took place while baseless and ridiculous rumors abounded of an assassination attempt against Bolton, and simultaneously with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action negotiations. But of course the strategic and historic importance of this mission is greater than these undue considerations. 6. The Western and Zionist [intelligence] agencies are unable to protect each of their numerous pawns, particularly if those pawns are already burned. 7. If this operation was done by a Western or Zionist intelligence agency then they were forced to carry out the dormant fatwa with their own hands, and from now on their hacks will always be looking over their shoulders in fear that their masters might decide to take them out on their own.

*Editor's Note: Salman Rushdie was at the Chatauqua Institution in New York State for a speaking engagement.

**Editor’s Note: Hadi Matar, though a resident of New Jersey, was arrested in New York, and it was announced there.

***Editor’s Note: The attack on Rushdie took place in Chatauqua, New York, not New York City, as seems implied by the writer.