Salman Rushdie stabbing sends literary world into shock

Literary figures and public officials said that they were shocked by the news that the author Salman Rushdie had been stabbed in the neck on Friday morning while onstage to give a lecture at the Chautauqua Institute in western New York.
“We cannot immediately think of any comparable incident of a public violent attack on a writer during a literary event here in the US,” said Suzanne Nossel, the CEO of the nonprofit literary organisation PEN America, who noted that the motivations for the attack and Rushdie’s current condition were unknown as of Friday late morning.

Rushdie is a former president of PEN America, which advocates for writers’ freedom of expression around the world. She said in a statement that the organisation’s members were “reeling from shock and horror”. Nossel said Rushdie had emailed her hours before the attack to ask about helping Ukrainian writers in need of safe refuge.
“Salman Rushdie has been targeted for his words for decades, but has never flinched nor faltered,” she said. “He has devoted tireless energy to assisting others who are vulnerable and menaced.”

“I hope Salman Rushdie is okay,” tweeted Stephen King.
“I am really shocked. I never thought it would happen. He has been living in the West, and he has been protected since 1989. If he is attacked, anyone who is critical of Islam can be attacked. I am worried” tweeted Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen.

“Horrified to learn that Salman Rushdie has been attacked at a speaking event in upstate New York. Wish him a speedy recovery,” said writer Amitav Ghosh.
Lyricist Javed Akhtar said, “I condemn the barbaric attack on Salman Rushdie by some fanatic. I hope that NY police and the court will take the strongest action possible against the attacker.”

The Wylie Agency, which represents Rushdie, did not respond to a request for comment. Iran’s mission to the UN in New York did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
US Senator Chuck Schumer of New York called it “an attack on freedom of speech and thought”.
The author Neil Gaiman wrote on Twitter that he was “shocked and distressed” about the attack. “He’s a good man and a brilliant one and I hope he’s okay,” he said.

Governor Kathy Hochul of New York said she had directed state police to assist with the investigation into Rushdie’s attack. A man was immediately taken into custody, according to a statement from the state police. Photos on social media of the alleged assailant being led away by police showed a young man with close cropped hair.
A spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the country’s largest Muslim civil rights group, said he was concerned people might rush to blame Muslims or Islam for the stabbing before the attacker’s identity or motive were known. “American Muslims, like all Americans, condemn any violence targeting anyone in our society,” said Ibrahim Hooper.