Salman Rushdie almost 'DIED' THREE times before, the price of the head was set at about 24 MILLION RUPEES

Booker-winning author Salman Rushdie was stabbed by an assailant while he was on stage to speak at the Shataka Institution, 100 km from New York. The 75-year-old writer is currently hospitalized. According to news agency PTI, one of his eyes may be damaged. But this is not the first time, Rushdie has been attacked several times before. On June 19, 1947, Ahmed Salman Rushdie was born in a Kashmiri Muslim family in Bombay (now Mumbai) in British-ruled India. Salman's father, Anis Ahmed Rushdie, was a Cambridge-returned lawyer. But later he started business. Mother Negin Bhatt was a teacher. 'Rushdi' is not their family name. His father used the word 'Rushdi' at the end of his name in honor of Ibn Rushd, a twelfth-century multi-talented philosopher from Andalusia, Spain. Apart from Salman, the Rushdie couple had three more daughters.

Schooling and Early Days

Salman grew up in Bombay and attended the Cathedral and John Conan School in South Bombay. Later he went to England and started studying at Rugby School in Warwickshire. After finishing school, he entered King's College, Cambridge. He graduated in history from there. After graduating from Cambridge, Salman stayed with his family in Pakistan for a few days before leaving for Britain. Salman started living in America since 2000. Football lover Salman is a fan of English football club Tottenham Hotspur. 

Career As a Copywriter

Rushdie began his career as a copywriter at the advertising agency Ogilvy & Mather. During this time he wrote advertising 'copy' for several companies. Most of which became quite popular. Rushdie also wrote songs in collaboration with musician Ronnie Bond. While working at Ogilvy, Rushdie dabbled in novel writing. While working here he wrote 'Midnight's Children'. Rushdie won the Booker Prize for this novel.

First Novel and Other Works

Rushdie's first novel was 'Grimus'. He wrote this novel in 1975. After that, he wrote 'Midnight's Children' in 1981. Apart from this, his notable novels are 'Shame', 'The Satanic Verses', 'The Moor's Last Say', 'The Ground Beneath Her Feet'. He has also written two novels for teenagers. Wrote several articles. 

Controversial Novel and Death Threats

But the novel he wrote that became the center of controversy overnight was 'The Satanic Verses'. He wrote this novel in 1988. Rushdie was accused of 'heresy' because of this book. Various radical Islamic organizations were angry with him. A death warrant was even issued against Rushdie. On February 14, 1989, i.e. 'Day of Love', a death warrant was issued in his name by the then supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Even after Khomeini died, this 'fatwa' continued for years. The price of the Salman's head was set at around $300,000 (Approx 24 Million).

Rushdie Replied 'Misunderstood'   

However, Rushdie has repeatedly claimed that his novel has been misinterpreted. Regarding the controversy created by this novel, Rushdie once lamented, "Islam was not such a thing at that time. No one thought so. What has happened now is that people in the West are more aware of this than ever before. The book was really misunderstood.'' The novel 'The Satanic Verses' was banned in 13 countries including India. However, in 2015, former Union minister P Chidambaram admitted that the decision to ban the novel was wrong. In 1998, former Iranian president Mohammad Khatami lifted the 'fatwa' against Rushdie. Although the official withdrawal was announced, many hardline leaders continued to issue 'fatwas' against him.

Also Read: The Satanic Verses: 'FATWA' of DEATH was issued 33 years back for controversial book of Salman Rushdie

13 Years of Pseudonym' life

But not only the attack on the Shataka Institution, since the writing of 'The Satanic Verses', Rushdie has been attacked one after another. He spent 13 years anonymously to survive this attack. In September 2001, Rushdie came out of the 'pseudonym' life. 

First Attack and Al Qaeda

On August 3, 1989, a man named Mustafa Mahmud Majeh arrived at a hotel in London's Paddington with a book filled with explosives. The intention was to kill Rushdie. But this book-bomb exploded and Mustafa died. The radical Mujahideen group claimed responsibility for the attack. Mustafa was honored as a martyr in Iran. Rushdie was also attacked in Milan, Italy in the 1990s. In 2010, Rushdie's name came up in the Khatam Talka of Al Qaeda militant organization.

The Japanese Translator stabbed to Death

Rushdie was scheduled to attend the 'Jaipur Literature Festival' in Rajasthan in January 2012. But later he canceled his visit. Rushdie said that if he went to Jaipur, he might be attacked. He was informed by the police. But Rushdie later claimed that the police had given him false information to avoid trouble. But not only Rushdie, the Japanese translator of 'The Satanic Verses' Hitoshi Igarashi was also stabbed to death in a university in Tokyo.

Rushdie- The 'Villian'

Soon after the publication of the novel 'The Satanic Verses', a Pakistani film called 'International Gorilla' was released in 1990. The film features Rushdie as a villain. At the end of the movie, the character based on him is killed off. Rushdie was knighted by the British government in 2007 for his contribution to literature. However, many Islamists protested against this incident throughout the world. However, Rushdie said that he was happy to receive this honor.