“You’re Next”: Why Is J.K. Rowling Receiving Death Threats Amidst Fatal Attack On Salman Rushdie?

J.K. Rowling is one of the most celebrated authors on this planet. The 57-year-old author and philanthropist is known for her ‘Harry Potter‘ series of books that have sold over 500 million copies. But after author Salman Rushdie was attacked on August 12, Rowling has been at the receiving end of some online threats.

Rowling condemned the attack on ‘The Satanic Verses‘ author. But some people weren’t happy with it. One user reportedly told her that she was next. This has since created an uproar and her fans are concerned about her safety. Rowling was earlier criticized for her statements on the transgender community.

Why Did J.K. Rowling Receive Death Threats?

After Author Salman Rushdie was brutally stabbed on stage on Friday, J.K. Rowling lend her support to Rushdie.

The ‘Harry Potter‘ had tweeted, “Feeling very sick right now. Let him be ok.” In response, a user named Meer Asif Aziz wrote to her, “Don’t worry you are next,”

.@TwitterSupport any chance of some support? pic.twitter.com/AoeCzmTKaU

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) August 13, 2022

This prompted the 57-year-old author to appeal to Twitter. She shared screenshots of the tweet and the user’s picture and captioned, “any chance of some support?”

Rowling later thanked everyone who supported her and said that the police are involved. The Scottish Police are currently probing the threats she received. Warner Bros. Discovery also condemned the threats made against Rowling.

The reason behind the threat seems to be clear. The user Asif Aziz is a supporter of Hadi Matar, the guy who stabbed Rushdie. In a screenshot shared by J.K. Rowling, Aziz is calling Hadi a “revolutionary shia fighter” who followed the fatwa of late Irani leader Ayatollah Khomeini.

Rushdie Stabbed 33 Years After The Fatwa

Salman Rushdie was stabbed multiple times in his neck and abdomen. The Booker Prize winner suffered serious damage to the liver and had severed nerves in an arm and an eye from about 10 to 15 stab wounds. His agent had earlier said that he would “likely lose one eye”.

According to recent reports, the 75-year-old writer has been taken off the ventilator and is able to talk. His attacker, Hadi Matar, has entered a plea. He appeared in court wearing a black and white jumpsuit for the hearing. His Facebook posts suggest that he was a supporter of late Irani leader Ayatollah Khomeini.

The attack comes 33 years after the Irani officials called for Rushdie’s execution. It was because the citizen’s believed that his book ‘The Satanic Verses‘ made fun of the Islamic religious beliefs. Because of this, the writer had to spend almost a decade in hiding and under police protection.

Until 1998, the Irani government publicly backed the fatwa. Later, the then-Irani president, Mohammad Khatami, said they no longer supported the killing. But the fatwa remains in place. It was a bounty of around $3.3 million as of 2012.