Sales of Salman Rushdie's infamous book surge following attack on author

AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis

• By Raheel Raza

PETITION: I Support Salman Rushdie

Salman Rushdie has a right to critique Islam without being violently attacked. If you agree, sign this petition.

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Sales of Salman Rushdie’s infamous novel The Satanic Verses have surged in the days following his attack on stage while presenting a lecture in New York. 

Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini placed a fatwa, or religious edict demanding the death of Rushdie and his publishers in 1989 following the publication of his book. Over the past several decades, Rushdie has faced numerous death threats, and his book has been banned in several countries. 

The book drew criticism from some Muslims for it's depictions of Islam.

This week, the book landed on the number one spot in the contemporary literature and fiction, fiction satire, and humorous literary fiction sections on Amazon. An audiobook version of the title was the seventh best seller on Audible. 

Additionally, the novel landed top spots in the Politics & Social Science, and Self-help & Psychology Humor sections on Tuesday, making it the 26th best-selling book overall on the platform. 

In addition to The Satanic Verses, Rushdie’s other novels earned increased sales, Sky News reported. 

Numerous reviewers who left their remarks in the comments section on Amazon said they purchased the book to reject the extremists who attempted to murder the prolific author. 

Following the attack, Rushdie was placed on a ventilator and lost sight of one of his eyes. The attacker, 24-year-old Hadi Matar, also severed nerves in one of Rushdie’s arms and caused damage to his liver. 

“I don’t like the person. I don’t think he’s a very good person,” said Matar in an interview with the New York Post. “He’s someone who attacked Islam. He attacked their beliefs, the belief systems.”

Matar has been charged with attempted murder and assault, and said to the paper he took a bus to Buffalo, New York, the day before the attack, and then took a ride-sharing service to Chautauqua, where the attack took place.