Lakers Legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Breaks Silence After Vicious Attack on Salman Rushdie

Amongst many ex-players of the NBA, Los Angeles Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is one person who often voices his opinion over matters most talked about in the mainstream media. The six-time MVP is also an inductee into the Naismith Hall of Fame in the batch of 1995. Considering the contributions by Abdul-Jabbar to society, the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion Award was started in 2021.

He uses his social media platform or other ways to communicate what he truly feels about situations prevailing in society. He recently opened up and spoke about the attack on renowned author Salman Rushdie.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar condemns the attack on Salman Rushdie

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar recently took to Instagram to condemn the attack on Salman Rushdie. He called the assault “horrific” and was shocked by it. He broke his silence on the attack three days after the event took place on 15th August.

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Abdul-Jabbar wrote in his Instagram post that the attack on Rushdie was not just an attack on him but on free speech and artistic freedom. He said, “To fear ideas is to live life cowering in the dark.” 

Abdul-Jabbar is a follower of the Islamic faith and its beliefs, the one on which Salman Rushdie’s book is based. He posted a picture of Rushdie along with the four lines he wrote for him. Abdul-Jabbar, who was born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr., converted to Islam while at UCLA and changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1971.

What was the Salman Rushdie controversy?

Salman Rushdie is an Indian-born British author. He had written a controversial book called ‘The Satanic Verses’. Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini had even denounced the book which forced him into hiding. The author has been living under police protection in the United States for a while now. Recently, he was assaulted while on a stage during a literary event in New York. The attacker reportedly stabbed him twice, once on his neck and once on his chest. Rushdie is said to be on the road to recovery now, after having survived the attack.

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What do you think of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s comments on the attack on Salman Rushdie? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.