Star author Salman Rushdie required surgery and was put on a ventilator after being attacked during a lecture. He can’t speak at the moment and will likely lose an eye, literary agent Andrew Wylie said. The horror is great worldwide.
“The news isn’t good,” Wylie said. Nerves in Rushdie’s arm were severed and his liver was damaged. The 75-year-old author was attacked and seriously injured Friday before a lecture in Chautauqua, New York. The perpetrator is said to be a 24-year-old American. Rushdie was stabbed at least once in the neck and abdomen, according to police. A helicopter took him to a local hospital. The perpetrator’s background and motives were initially unclear.
Sentenced to death in Iran 30 years ago
It remains unclear whether the man has ties to the fatwa. British-Indian author Rushdie was sentenced to death under Islamic law more than 30 years ago. The reason is his 1988 work “The Satanic Verses”, which was violated by some Muslims in their religious sensibilities. The writer was accused of insulting the prophet Mohammed. The then Iranian revolutionary leader, Ayatollah Khomeini, then published a religious legal document calling for the writer’s death.
The same was true for everyone involved in the distribution of the book. A Japanese translator was killed, Rushdie was given police protection and had to go into hiding. A few days ago, he told Stern magazine that he now feels safe in the US. It is sad, however, that “death threats have become commonplace.”
Hundreds of people at the event
The attack took place in the so-called Chautauqua Institution, an educational and cultural center. There the lecture should have taken place under the title “Meer dan Schelter” (“More than Schelter”), addressing the United States as a refuge for writers in exile and the persecution of artists.
Police say the young man stormed the stage around 11 a.m. local time (5 p.m. EDT) and stabbed Rushdie in front of hundreds of people. Several of them then fell on the suspect and brought him to the ground. A police officer eventually arrested the 24-year-old and a doctor who happened to be present treated the author until rescuers arrived.
UN Secretary-General and government shocked
Late Friday night, the US government and the UN Secretary General reacted with disgust at the attack. “Violence is in no way a reaction to words spoken or written by others in the exercise of their freedom of thought and expression,” said spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres. The US government spoke of a “reprehensible attack”. She prays that the 75-year-old will recover quickly.
The crime also sparked worldwide outrage. Rushdie has published more than two dozen fiction, nonfiction, and other writings. His style is called Magical Realism, in which realistic and fantastic elements are intertwined. He has lived in New York for years and criticizes supporters of Donald Trump, among other things.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
