Salman Rushdie and the Hallelujah Chorus?

I have almost finished reading Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder by Salman Rushdie. In August of 2022 Rushdie was on the stage at a Chautauqua event in New York State when a young man rushed forward and stabbed him 15 times. Rushdie was 75 at the time and he was injured in his face, including an eye, as well as his neck and chest. How he survived some would call a miracle, although as he points out, he doesn't believe in miracles as an avowed atheist. The knife thrust that destroyed his eye stopped just short of piercing his brain. 

The young man who attempted this murder was an Islamist zealot who hated Rushdie in keeping with a fatwah declared against the author in 1988 because of the novel called The Satanic Verses. Over the years Rushdie lived under tight security in Great Britain and there were a number of thwarted assassination plots. 

Critics, some of them high profile, felt that Rushdie brought this on himself by essentially provoking Islamic extremists. He points out that a novel is words, not deserving a death sentence. I recall starting The Satanic Verses and quitting quickly. It turns out that the novel has been described as unreadable by many and it wasn't read by his assailant nor likely by any of the others who tried to take his life. I wondered why he chose to be so provocative at the time but I agree that the response was disturbing in its violence. 

I have found Knife to be compelling -- it is so well written. Rushdie was at death's door and few of his doctors figured he'd live, let alone recover. His resolve to get better is impressive, as was that of his relatively recent wife (his fourth.) That he has resumed writing and is determined to find meaning in life is inspiring. 

 When he explains why he doesn't believe in any religion he's thoughtful although not original. There are plenty of other atheists who share his perspective. While he grew up in a non-religious family, Islam was the religion of his area in India and he expresses respect for aspects of  the tradition. He does speak about being influenced by Christianity, having lived in Britain. He loves the music, singing hymns such as O Come All Ye Faithful, as well as the Hallelujah chorus. Salman Rushdie and Adeste Fidelis seem an unlikely combo.  He appreciates 1 Corinthians 13 and Psalm 30 from the King James Version and was moved when he visited the Sistine Chapel. He is not impressed by the extremes of American Christianity which of course are enough to make many of us profess atheism.

I would encourage you to read Knife. It's a fascinating story of overcoming personal adversity. I will polish off the final pages on this rainy day.