New York’s Chautauqua Institution describes itself as “a community of artists, educators, thinkers, faith leaders and friends dedicated to exploring the best in humanity.”
On Friday morning, the worst in humanity came calling on Chautauqua, New York, when an assailant rushed the stage and attacked the great author Salman Rushdie, stabbing him several times, it appeared, in the neck. It was immediately apparent that his injuries were grievous.
Rushdie, who refused to be cowed by a 1989 fatwa from the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who did not care for one of Rushdie’s books, lived a profoundly self-examined life, out and about, eschewing security, engaging with his readers, giving speeches and supporting authors’ rights and free speech all across the planet.
