Matar, 27, attacked Rushdie in August 2022 during a lecture in New York, stabbing him more than 15 times, including in the face, neck, and chest. The attack resulted in permanent damage, leaving Rushdie blind in one eye. Matar was also sentenced to seven years for wounding the interviewee, Henry Reese, but both sentences will run concurrently.
Before his sentencing, Matar criticized Rushdie in court, accusing him of hypocrisy regarding free speech. Matar had been convicted back in February 2025 after a trial that featured Rushdie recounting the horror of the attack, during which he initially believed he had merely been punched.
This brutal incident came three and a half decades after Rushdie's controversial novel, "The Satanic Verses," provoked vehement backlash and death threats from various factions, notably after a fatwa was issued calling for his execution. Matar, who expressed disdain for Rushdie and even praised Iran's call for violence against him, did not provide a defense during his trial, opting to plead not guilty to the charges.
Despite living under the shadow of threats for years, Rushdie had previously noted a sense of relative normalcy in his life, which sharply contrasted with the harrowing attack that nearly claimed it. Now, as Rushdie continues to heal, the focus remains on the implications of Matar's actions and the broader issues of freedom of expression and safety for writers worldwide.
Before his sentencing, Matar criticized Rushdie in court, accusing him of hypocrisy regarding free speech. Matar had been convicted back in February 2025 after a trial that featured Rushdie recounting the horror of the attack, during which he initially believed he had merely been punched.
This brutal incident came three and a half decades after Rushdie's controversial novel, "The Satanic Verses," provoked vehement backlash and death threats from various factions, notably after a fatwa was issued calling for his execution. Matar, who expressed disdain for Rushdie and even praised Iran's call for violence against him, did not provide a defense during his trial, opting to plead not guilty to the charges.
Despite living under the shadow of threats for years, Rushdie had previously noted a sense of relative normalcy in his life, which sharply contrasted with the harrowing attack that nearly claimed it. Now, as Rushdie continues to heal, the focus remains on the implications of Matar's actions and the broader issues of freedom of expression and safety for writers worldwide.
