Novelist Salman Rushdie backed out of delivering a commencement speech at a California college just days before the graduation, following protests by some students on campus.
The celebrated British-Indian author, whose novel The Satanic Verses has long triggered controversy and even death threats, backed out of delivering a May 17 commencement speech at Claremont McKenna College earlier this week, the Los Angeles Daily News reported.
News that Rushdie, 77, would no longer deliver the address was shared across the campus in an email from Claremont McKenna President Hiram Chodosh.
“I write with news that Sir Salman Rushdie notified us yesterday of his decision to withdraw as our keynote commencement speaker,” he wrote.
“This decision was his alone and completely beyond our control,” Chodosh added. “We remain steadfast in our commitment to Sir Salman’s visit to CMC and have extended an open invitation to him to speak on our campus in the future.”
Claremont McKenna’s Muslim Student Association had criticized the college’s choice of Rushdie in a May 2 statement, calling it “disrespectful” and out of line with the college’s commitment to inclusion.
Rushdie’s famous 1988 novel has triggered controversy since it was published for its depiction of the Prophet Muhammad. One year after the novel’s publication, Iran’s spiritual leader at the time, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, issued a fatwa on the author — prompting him to spend years in hiding.
The author has also made headlines in recent years after he was stabbed 15 times on stage while preparing to deliver a lecture in western New York. The horrifying incident caused him to lose sight in one eye, his agent said.
His attacker, Hadi Matar, was convicted in February of trying to kill the Booker Prize-winning novelist. Matar is set to be sentenced on May 16, according to The Guardian.
Students upset with Rushdie’s upcoming address said they protested, sending emails to administrators and speaking to news outlets to make their stance known, co-president of the group, Kumail Afshar, told the Los Angeles Daily News.
The Greater Los Angeles Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations also called on the college to address students’ concerns, noting in a statement that the author “previously made troubling statements about Muslims and Palestine.”
Rushdie did not appear to address the criticism when withdrawing as the commencement speaker.
Dr. Richard Heinzl, founder of Doctors Without Borders Canada, will now deliver Saturday’s keynote address, according to Chodosh’s letter.
