The trial of Hadi Matar, the man accused of stabbing renowned author Salman Rushdie in August 2022, began with dramatic and chilling details. The attack occurred on a sunlit stage at the Chautauqua Institution Amphitheater in western New York, where Rushdie, 77, was about to deliver a lecture on the safety of writers. District Attorney Jason Schmidt described the assault as swift and brutal, with Matar, 27, storming the stage and repeatedly stabbing Rushdie in the head, neck, abdomen, thigh, and hand. Rushdie, a Booker Prize-winning author, was so stunned that he initially froze, unable to fight back. Despite the chaos, Rushdie managed to escape, with Matar chasing him until bystanders intervened. Henry Reese, co-founder of City of Asylum in Pittsburgh, who was seated next to Rushdie, also suffered a gash above his eye during the incident.
Matar, a resident of Fairview, New Jersey, has been charged with attempted murder and assault. He has pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors argue that the attack was premeditated and unprovoked, with Matar traveling to Chautauqua the night before the stabbing and sleeping on the grounds. During the trial’s opening statements, Schmidt emphasized that the case was not one of mistaken identity, stating unequivocally that Matar was the assailant. Matar’s motivations, according to federal authorities, were tied to a decades-old fatwa issued by Iran’s Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989, calling for Rushdie’s death over his novel The Satanic Verses. Matar allegedly believed the edict was endorsed by Hezbollah, a Lebanon-based militant group.
Rushdie, an Indian-born British-American author, has long been a target of threats and violence due to The Satanic Verses, which many Muslims deemed blasphemous. Despite spending years in hiding, Rushdie had lived relatively freely for the past 25 years after Iran declared it would not enforce the fatwa. The attack in 2022 marked a devastating reminder of the ongoing risks he faces. Rushdie has since detailed the attack and his grueling recovery in his memoir Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder, released in 2023. The trial coincidentally aligns with the 36th anniversary of the fatwa, issued on February 14, 1989.
The trial began with challenges for Matar’s defense team. His public defender, Nathaniel Barone, was hospitalized, forcing Judge David Foley to allow Barone’s associate, Lynn Shaffer, to address the jury. Shaffer argued that while the attack was undeniably horrific, the prosecution’s case was not as straightforward as it seemed. She emphasized that proving Matar’s guilt required more than just evidence of the violence; it demanded a clear demonstration of intent and direct responsibility. Shaffer also acknowledged that nearly all jurors had prior knowledge of the case, urging them to set aside any preconceptions and focus solely on the evidence presented.
The trial’s first witness, Deborah Moore Kushmaul, an administrator at the Chautauqua Institution, described how she rushed to the stage during the attack and was handed the knife by a reverend. She immediately turned it over to law enforcement. Another witness, Jordan Steves, the institution’s media relations coordinator, testified that he ran to intervene, using his body to subdue Matar. Steves identified Matar as the assailant and described the attacker’s violent movements, which left Rushdie and Reese stunned and unable to react initially.
The trial is expected to last up to two weeks, with Rushdie himself expected to testify. His appearance will mark the first time he and Matar have faced each other since the attack. Matar’s demeanor in court has been notable; he calmly stated “Free Palestine” as he entered the courtroom and appeared unfazed during the prosecution’s opening statements, even smiling and laughing at times while speaking with his attorneys. The case has drawn global attention, not only because of Rushdie’s stature as one of the world’s most celebrated authors but also due to its ties to broader issues of free speech, religious extremism, and the legacy of the fatwa. As the trial unfolds, it will likely explore these complexities, shedding light on the motivations behind the attack and the enduring impact on Rushdie’s life and work.
