cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/50068612
A man was convicted Wednesday of federal terrorism charges in the 2022 stabbing of Salman Rushdie, the author who has faced a decades-old death threat over his novel “The Satanic Verses.”
A jury found Hadi Matar guilty of all the charges against him, including engaging in an act of transnational terrorism.
A message seeking comment was sent to Matar’s attorneys.
Matar, 28, is already serving a 25-year New York state prison sentence on an attempted murder conviction in the August 2022 attack on an amphitheater stage. The federal conviction carries a potential life sentence.
Rushdie, who was about to speak on writers’ safety, was slashed 15 times in front of a stunned audience. He was gravely wounded and lost the sight in his right eye.
The supreme leader of Iran declared a fatwa calling for his execution in the late 80s after he published The Satanic Verses, which is a novel about the prophet Muhammad that is considered blasphemous by conservative Muslims.
People have been trying to kill him in the name of Islam since. Mostly because the state of Iran has a $4 million USD bounty on his life, that is still on offer. Iranian state media does fundraisers to add to the pot every few years.
The attempts on his life are meant to silence free speech across international boarders and further religious ideology.
Thank you for that explanation but that actually makes sense
That explanation is also the first paragraph of the article you’re responding to btw.