Salman Rushdie, the novelist who was repeatedly stabbed onstage in New York nine months ago, has warned that Western countries face the most serious threats to freedom of expression and freedom of publication in his lifetime.
Rushdie, 75, received the “Freedom to Publish” award from the British Book Awards on Monday.
“We live in a moment, I believe, in which freedom of expression, freedom to publish has not been under such threat in the countries of the West in my lifetime,” Rushdie said via video message from New York to the award ceremony.
“Of course, freedom to publish entails freedom to read and freedom to write, the ability to write whatever you want. The ability to choose what you want to read without having it decided for you externally.”
After being attacked onstage during a lecture in the state of New York in August 2022, the Indian-born British author lost the use of one hand and vision in one eye.
“The Satanic Verses,” his fourth novel, was banned in many countries with sizable Muslim populations. It was published in 1988 and banned due to blasphemous passages, and Rushdie has been the target of death threats.
“Unprecedented assault on libraries”
Rushdie, who went into hiding for a long time after Iran’s supreme leader issued a fatwa, or religious edict. It ordered all Muslims to kill him, also mentioned the prohibition of books in some American classrooms and libraries.
Until recently, Western countries enjoyed considerable publishing freedom. “As I sit here in the United States,” he continued, “I have to witness the unprecedented assault on libraries and schoolbooks for children.”
The concept of a library war. It’s extremely concerning, so we must keep a close eye on it and actively oppose it.
According to PEN America, over a thousand books have been banned from classrooms and libraries in the United States. They were banned in the last two years due to pressure from conservative parents and officials. Many of these books addressed racial and LGBTQ concerns.
