Writers and celebrities have reacted with shock and horror after author Salman Rushdie was attacked onstage at an event in New York state on Friday.
Rushdie was attacked as he was about to deliver a lecture at the Chautauqua Institution in western New York, according to witnesses. Police later said he had been taken to hospital with an apparent stab wound to the neck.
Rushdie’s writings, which many Muslims consider blasphemous, has led to death threats from Iran in the 1980s as Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa, or edict, that called for Rushdie’s death.
Stephen King tweeted: “I hope Salman Rushdie is okay.”
“‘What is freedom of expression? Without the freedom to offend, it ceases to exist.’ – Salman Rushdie. Holding thoughts for you today,” Scott Simon, host of the Weekend Edition Saturday on NPR, tweeted, quoting Rushdie’s own words.
Wajahat Ali, author of Go Back to Where You Came From and Daily Beast columnist, tweeted: “I was there 2 weeks ago giving a talk. It’s a lovely place with a fantastic, curious and welcoming community. This is shocking. I hope Salman Rushdie isn’t injured and can recover and heal quickly. How disgusting.”
He went on to add: “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.”
Ian McEwan, the Booker-prize winning author, criticised the “appalling attack”, saying it “represents an assault on freedom of thought and speech”.
“Salman has been an inspirational defender of persecuted writers and journalists across the world. He is a fiery and generous spirit, a man of immense talent and courage and he will not be deterred.”
JK Rowling condemned the “horrifying news”, adding: “Feeling very sick right now. Let him be ok.”
Neil Gaiman wrote: “I’m shocked and distressed to see my friend @SalmanRushdie has been attacked before a talk. He’s a good man and a brilliant one and I hope he’s okay.”
“Prayers for Salman Rushdie,” former Democratic presidential candidate and author Marianne Williamson tweeted.
The New York governor, Kathy Hochul, thanked state police’s swift response and offered her thoughts to Rushdie, tweeting: “Thank you to the swift response of @nyspolice & first responders following today’s attack of author Salman Rushdie. Our thoughts are with Salman & his loved ones following this horrific event. I have directed State Police to further assist however needed in the investigation.”
Suzanne Nossel, CEO of PEN America, a non-profit organization that works to defend freedom of expression through literature, issued a statement, saying: “PEN America is reeling from shock and horror at word of a brutal, premeditated attack on our former President and stalwart ally, Salman Rushdie … We can think of no comparable incident of a public violent attack on a literary writer on American soil.”
She continued: “Just hours before the attack, on Friday morning Salman had emailed me to help with placements for Ukrainian writers in need of safe refuge from the grave perils they face. Salman Rushdie has been targeted for his words for decades but has never flinched nor faltered. He has devoted tireless energy to assisting others who are vulnerable and menaced.”
Nigella Lawson, an English food writer and television cook, wrote, “Such shocking news of Salman Rushdie having been stabbed. This is horrific. Am distraught. Please, please let him be ok.”
Speaking to the Guardian, Japanese-born English novelist Kazuo Ishiguro said: “He’s been incredibly brave through all these years, continuously putting himself on the line for the right to think and speak freely, despite the dangers that never went away. We’re hoping and hoping he’ll pull through.”
Indian author and political and environmental activist Arundhati Roy told the Guardian, “I am shocked and saddened beyond measure. Nothing can justify this attack.”
In a statement to the Guardian, Tanzanian-born English author Abdulrazak Gurnah said, “This is such a dreadful persecution for someone who has written about things he has understood. We have been through this thing for ages, and we thought he was safe, but now we find out he was not. It seems writers cannot speak out and are in danger.”
Meanwhile, Benjamin Haddad, a member of the National Assembly of France, tweeted: “Solidarity with the writer, symbol of freedom of expression and intellectual courage in the face of Islamist fanaticism.”
