Javed Akhtar condemns stabbing of Salman Rushdie without mentioning Islamists: Here is how he had dog whistled about Satanic Verses in 2012 – OpIndia

Hours after Salman Rushdie was brutally stabbed by a 24-year-old Hadi Matar in western New York, lyricist Javed Akhtar denounced the barbaric attack on the renowned novelist, however, there was a catch. He refused to name Islamists or the threat by Islamists that he has been living under for over 3 decades.

In a tweet on Friday (August 12), Akhtar tweeted, I condemn the barbaric attack on Salman Rushdie by some fanatic. I hope that New York police and the court will take the strongest action possible against the attacker. Interestingly, his tweet made no direct reference to the Islamist who orchestrated the attack. Javed Akhtar contended that the attacker was just some fanatic.

Although the lyricist was quite prompt in condemning the attack on Rushdie (without mentioning the Islamist attacker), it must be recalled that he had earlier dog whistled against the same novelist in 2012.

Salman Rushdie came into the limelight after his book The Satanic Verses was banned in 1988 by a host of countries, including India, under the garb of blasphemy. Javed Akhtar who otherwise pretends to be an atheist was deeply offended by the novels portrayal of Islamic characters.

In an interview with journalist Barkha Dutt on NDTV in April 2012, Akhtar was asked about his stand on Rushdie and his book. What Rushdie did is not decent. I am an atheist but there is certain decorum and basic decency in life he alleged.

He has written a novel. Its a work of fiction. In that, you take real historical people who are respected and revered by billions of people. You say very dirty things about them. What will you gain? Why are you doing this? the pretentious atheist remarked.

The lyricist went on to claim that books such as The Satanic Verses are counter-productive. He emphasised, You will make them more religious and fanatic. A fundamentalist who is against freedom of expression will have a very good argument against freedom of expression.

That book was in extreme bad taste. Without having any religious beliefs, I felt that. You cant do that, Javed Akhtar warned. Whenever Barkha Dutt pointed out that free speech also includes the right to offend, Javed Akhtar started drawing false equivalence.

Can I write anything against my neighbour? Can I call him a pimp and his house a brothel?, he inquired to thwart criticism directed towards Islam. To reinstate his secular and atheist credentials, Akhtar claimed that he was not against criticism of his religion based on scholarly work.

He also claimed to have defended the right of Salman Rushdie to take part in the Jaipur Literature Festival although he had not been vocal about it. The deliberate omission of the word Islamist from his tweet and his personal disdain for the novelist demonstrates that his condemnation is political tokenism at best.

It is a tendency among the cabal of left-liberals to do lip service and shed crocodile tears following Islamist attacks, despite creating a fertile land for such tragedies to follow.

On Friday (August 12), Salman Rushdie was stabbed during an event at the Chautauqua Institution in western New York. The man involved in the attack was identified as 24-year-old Hadi Matar. A resident of Fairview in New Jersey, Hadi jumped onto the stage and attacked the novelist with a knife.

The accused reportedly had a pass for the event where Rushdie was invited to deliver a lecture.The authorities had also seized a backpack, belonging to the accused, from the crime scene. Theyclaimedthat the attacker might have been alone and have launched a probe to determine whether thats the case.

As per areportby New York Times, the local police have sought help from the Federal Bureau of Investigation for determining the background and motives of Hadi Matar.Rushdies agent Andrew Wylie informed that he is still in a critical state.

He added that Rushdie was being put on ventilator support and that he could not speak. The news is not good. Salman will likely lose one eye; the nerves in his arm were severed, and his liver was stabbed and damaged, Wylie lamented.

The author of The Satanic Verses was reportedly provided immediate medical attention by an audience member named Rita Landman. She informed that Salman Rushdie received multiple stab wounds, one to his neck and another to his abdomen.

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Javed Akhtar condemns stabbing of Salman Rushdie without mentioning Islamists: Here is how he had dog whistled about Satanic Verses in 2012 - OpIndia