NEW DELHI: The Booker Prize winner author Salman Rushdie was attacked on stage Friday in New York.
The author fell to the floor after the attack and the attacker was restrained. Rushdie was quickly surrounded by a small group of people who held up his legs, presumably to send more blood to his chest, AP reported.
Video footage posted on social media showed people rushing to his aid soon after he fell to the floor after the attack during the event in Chautauqua County.
The author whose writing led to death threats from Iran in the 1980s, catapulted to fame with Midnight’s Children in 1981, which went on to sell over one million copies in the UK alone.
#SalmanRushdie just attacked onstage at @chq @NBCNews @ABC @cnnbrk pic.twitter.com/I1XT6AmkhK
— Charles Savenor (@CharlieSavenor) August 12, 2022
It may be noted that Rushdie’s book “The Satanic Verses” has been banned in Iran since 1988, as many Muslims consider it to be blasphemous. Iran’s late leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini had issued a fatwa calling for Rushdie’s death.
A bounty of over $3 million has also been offered for anyone who kills Rushdie.
A terrible day for literature, for freedom of speech and for authors everywhere. Poor poor Salman: I pray he’s not hurt and recovers quickly https://t.co/JX5LGTMk5L
— William Dalrymple (@DalrympleWill) August 12, 2022
The author of “Go Back To Where You Came From”, Wajahat Ali tweeted, “Unhinged men wanting to police the world through violence. Salman Rushdie stabbed today. FBI attacked yesterday. I fear these examples of violence will only keep escalating with polarization, disinformation and extremism going mainstream.”
Unhinged men wanting to police the world through violence. Salman Rushdie stabbed today. FBI attacked yesterday. I fear these examples of violence will only keep escalating with polarization, disinformation and extremism going mainstream.
— Wajahat Ali (@WajahatAli) August 12, 2022