‘So to Speak’ podcast: Assassin’s veto comes for Rushdie

Last week, a would-be assassin attacked Salman Rushdie, author of “The Satanic Verses,”  in an apparent attempt to carry out the infamous fatwa placed on Rushdie’s life. Fortunately, Rushdie survived the attack. Vice News Tonight correspondent and “The Fifth Column” podcast co-host Michael Moynihan joins the show to discuss what happened, what it means for free speech, and the history of “The Satanic Verses” controversy. 

Show notes:

• Podcast transcript
• Lara Bazelon’s keynote address at FIRE’s 2022 Student Network Conference
• “Sticks and Stones: Defeating the Culture of Bullying and Rediscovering the Power of Character and Empathy” by Emily Bazelon
• “From Fatwa to Jihad: The Rushdie Affair and Its Aftermath” by Kenan Malik
• Kenan Malik BBC Newsnight clip arguing that “The Satanic Verses” “wouldn’t even be written today, let alone published.”
• “The Tyranny of Silence” by Flemming Rose
• “Kindly Inquisitors: The New Attacks on Free Thought” by Jonathan Rauch
• “Free Speech: A History from Socrates to Social Media” by Jacob Mchangama
• “Private Opinion in America,” a national quantitative survey from Populace Insights that reveals Americans’ private opinions about sensitive topics
• “The Jewel of Medina: A Novel” by Sherry Jones

Subscribe and listen to “So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast” on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Spotify, or download episodes directly from SoundCloud. 

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Have questions or ideas for future shows? Email us at sotospeak@thefire.org.