Founded in 1874, The Chautauqua Institution (which Rushdie often simply refers to as “Chautauqua” in Knife) is a philanthropic organization in western New York state that sponsors a nine-week retreat each summer to offer educational programs and recreational opportunities to both adults and children. Its educational focus is the arts, religion, politics, and various academic issues. Rushdie was invited to speak there in 2022 to talk about the City Asylum of Pittsburgh project, along with the project’s cofounder, Henry Reese. Rushdie was attacked as he was preparing to deliver his remarks.

A fatwa is a ruling on Islamic law issued by a recognized religious authority. On February 14, 1989, the Islamic leader of Iran, Ayatollah Khomeini, issued a proclamation condemning Salman Rushdie to death for the ideas expressed in Rushdie’s novel The Satanic Verses. Because the Western press labeled this proclamation a fatwa, it is popularly referred to in this way, although according to Islamic law it does not technically qualify as such. The Western press’s use of the term fatwa during its reporting of Khomeini’s proclamation has led non-Muslims to believe that the term refers to a kind of religious death sentence.