The Rushdie Attack

Just when Salman Rushdie had long since gotten comfortable living his life in public after publishing a novel - "The Satanic Verses" - that got him a death sentence from Iran, he got attacked in western New York by a would-be assassin who stabbed him and put him in the hospital in critical condition.

The British author has long been a champion of free speech and freedom of thought after publishing "The Satanic Verses," a novel that criticized Islam and, as many Muslims insist, defamed the prophet Muhammad.  Rushdie has never suffered fools gladly for his work as a writer and his critiques of the Islamic faith, but the attack on him last week must scare anyone who believes in democracy and freedom.  Just the idea that anyone can be attacked simply for saying something disagreeable must get many people quaking in their shoes - like, say, anyone who criticizes Donald Trump.  FBI agents are already in trouble simply for doing their job and investigating Trump.    

The attacker is a Shi'a fundamentalist and a supporter of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard.  The Iranians have denied any link to the attacker but added that Rushdie had it coming.

Oh, by the way, if you plan to criticize the more reactionary and misogynistic tenets of Islam, do yourself a favor and criticize the outdated tenets of Roman Catholicism instead.  Not only will you not offend Muslims, you won't offend any liberals who hate Catholicism but identify with Muslims because of their preference for non-Western perspectives.  Best of all, the Pope won't issue a death sentence against you.