Trial of Salman Rushdie attacker to launch with tricky jury selection

The trial for Hadi Matar, the man accused of attempting to murder Indian-born British author Salman Rushdie two years ago, is about to begin in the United States. Jury selection is expected to commence on Tuesday.

Matar repeatedly stabbed the 77-year-old novelist in the face, neck, and abdomen during a public lecture in New York State in August 2022. Both the prosecution and defense agree that the jury selection process may be quite challenging, as the global environment could contribute to "prejudice" against Islam.

Rushdie had previously received death threats for his writings about Islam. The attack resulted in the loss of one of his eyes, damage to his liver, and other injuries. Matar, now 26, has pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree attempted murder and second-degree assault in connection with the attack at the Chautauqua Institution in western New York State.

The trial has been postponed twice, most recently due to his lawyer's unsuccessful attempt to move the trial location elsewhere, arguing that Matar could not receive a fair trial in Chautauqua. He rejected a plea deal that would have sentenced him to 20 years in prison.

If convicted of attempted murder, Matar faces a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison. However, the dual U.S.-Lebanese citizen also faces federal charges of committing an act of terrorism and providing material support to Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Lebanese organization designated as a "terrorist organization" by the United States.

Prosecutors in the federal case argue that Matar's attack was not a random act but was driven by the fatwa, or religious edict, issued by Iranian leaders against Rushdie over his 1988 novel, "The Satanic Verses," which many Muslims consider blasphemous to Islam.

Following the attack, the suspect told the media that he traveled from his home in New Jersey after seeing an advertisement for Rushdie's event because he disliked the novelist, claiming Rushdie attacked Islam. Rushdie is expected to testify as one of the first witnesses. Since the attack, the author has published a memoir and stated in interviews that he thought he was going to die on stage at the time.

Rushdie, who grew up in a Kashmiri Muslim family, was forced into a decade-long seclusion in 1989 when Iran's then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini called for his execution. This sparked a wave of protests in the Western world in support of freedom of speech. The Iranian government stated in 1998 that it would no longer support the fatwa, and Rushdie ended his seclusion.

Prosecutors in the trial have stated that jurors may not hear about the fatwa, as presenting a motive is unnecessary because the attack was witnessed and recorded by many in the audience. Instead, they spoke of the challenges they will face in selecting an impartial and objective jury, given the high level of publicity surrounding the event.

Matar's lawyer has stated that he is concerned that the current global turmoil could have a negative impact and expressed concerns about "inherent and implicit biases" against the Arab-American and Muslim or Arab-American community in Chautauqua County. Due to heightened tensions from religiously motivated violence, the judge in the case has ordered both sides to refrain from making statements to the media.