Jury selection begins at trial of man accused of blinding Salman Rushdie

The process of selecting a jury has commenced for the trial of Hadi Matar, the individual accused of attacking the renowned author Sir Salman Rushdie. This incident occurred in August 2022, when Mr. Rushdie was stabbed multiple times while he was on stage at an event in New York. As a result of this brutal attack, Mr. Rushdie has lost vision in one of his eyes. Hadi Matar, who is 27 years old, has entered a plea of not guilty to the charges of attempted murder and assault. The trial is taking place in Chautauqua County Court, New York, and has faced delays on two occasions. It is anticipated that Mr. Rushdie will testify and confront his alleged assailant in court. Initially, the trial was set to begin in January 2024, but Matar's defense team requested a postponement. They argued that Mr. Rushdie's forthcoming memoir, which discusses the attack, could potentially be used as evidence, and they wanted to review its contents beforehand. In October, the trial was again put on hold after Matar's legal team sought to relocate the trial to a different county. According to reports from the New York Post, Matar's lawyers contended that the defendant would not receive a fair trial in Chautauqua County due to the extensive media coverage surrounding the case and the absence of a significant Arab-American community in the small county. However, this request was denied, and the trial is proceeding in Chautauqua County as originally planned. On Tuesday, five jurors were selected, and the jury selection process will continue on Wednesday at 09:30 local time. The attack on Sir Salman Rushdie in August 2022 left him in critical condition, requiring him to be placed on a ventilator and spend six weeks in the hospital. Hadi Matar, who was 24 at the time of the attack, is accused of rushing onto the stage and carrying out the stabbing. The injuries inflicted upon Mr. Rushdie were severe, resulting in damage to his liver, the loss of vision in one eye, and a paralyzed hand due to nerve damage in his arm. In a previous interview, Mr. Rushdie expressed uncertainty about whether he wanted to confront his alleged attacker in court, stating, 'I'm in two minds about it. ' He elaborated, 'There's one bit of me that actually wants to go and stand on the court and look at him and there's another bit of me that just can't be bothered. ' Additionally, Henry Reese, the moderator of the event Mr. Rushdie was attending, also sustained injuries during the attack. Apart from the charges in Chautauqua County Court, there are other legal matters related to the incident. Hadi Matar has pleaded not guilty to the charges of attempted murder and assault. Sir Salman Rushdie, now 77 years old, is an acclaimed author who previously spent years in hiding following the publication of his controversial novel, The Satanic Verses, in 1988. This book, which drew inspiration from the life of the Muslim Prophet Muhammad, sparked outrage among some Muslims who deemed its content blasphemous. The book was subsequently banned in several countries. A year after its release, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa calling for Mr. Rushdie's execution and offered a substantial reward for anyone who would carry out the decree.