Salman Rushdie stabbed: Kangana Ranaut, Swara Bhasker, Shabana Azmi, Onir condemn the ‘dastardly attack’; celebs say it’s a reminder about ‘intolerance towards an artist’ | Hindi Movie News
Representative Andrew Wylie said Rushdie was airlifted to the hospital and underwent surgery. “Salman will probably lose an eye; the nerves in his arm are severed and his liver is stabbed and damaged,” Wylie added, while Rushdie is currently unable to speak.
The attack at the public event drew harsh criticism from literary circles, politicians and celebrities. Several Bollywood stars on Saturday took to their social media to condemn the attack on the novelist.
Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut shared an image of a news clip on her instagram stories and said: “Another day, another act of healing by Jihadis, The Satanic Verses is one of the best books of its time.
Bollywood lyricist Javed Akhtar also condemned the ‘barbaric attack’ on Rushdie. “I condemn the barbaric attack on Salman Rushdie by some fanatics. I hope that NY police and courts will take the strongest possible action against the attacker,” Akhtar tweeted.
His wife, actress Shabana Azmi also condemned the attack saying, “The barbaric attack on #Salman Rushdie is despicable and condemnable. Hope he recovers soon and the fanatical attacker gets the harshest punishment for heinous crime.”
Actress Swara Bhasker also shared her thoughts on the same in a tweet that read, “Thoughts and prayers for #SalmanRushdie Shameful, condemnable and pathetic this attack! ”
I condemn the barbaric attack on Salman Rushdie by some fanatics. I hope that the NY police and the courts will handle… https://t.co/FTx7cHPuDd
& mdash; Javed Akhtar (@Javedakhtarjadu) 1660322406000
Thoughts and Prayers for #SalmanRushdie Shameful, condemnable and pathetic this attack! #SalmanRushdieStabbed
& mdash; Swara Bhasker (@ReallySwara) 1660323737000
The terrible attack on #Salman Rushdie is despicable and condemnable. Hope he recovers soon and the fanatic… https://t.co/vTBn09j98A
& mdash; Azmi Shabana (@AzmiShabana) 1660345888000
Filmmaker Onir took to his Twitter to share his concerns about the ‘threat’ to artists. “Strongly condemn the terrorist attack on #SalmanRushdie. The artist and his voice are gravely threatened by religious extremists worldwide. Stand with #SalmanRushdie,” he wrote. .
The director went on to add, “#SalmanRushdie is a reminder to all of us… of what is intolerant of an artist. An illness that always shows an ugly face when coming home late. Let’s not forget to condemn that as Good.”
#SalmanRushdie is a reminder to all of us… of what zero tolerance is for and artists. A disease has been… https://t.co/S88XR2sGi3
& mdash; iamOnir (@IamOnir) 1660326591000
Meanwhile, New York State Police identified the suspect in connection with the attack as Hadi Matar, 24, from Fairfield, New Jersey. A possible motive remains unclear.
Police said Rushdie was stabbed in the neck as well as in the stomach. Several people rushed onto the stage and brought the suspect to the ground, before a soldier present at the event arrested him.
Carl LeVan, an American University politics professor who attended the event, told AFP he saw the suspect run up to the stage where Rushdie was sitting and “stabbed him repeatedly and viciously.”
LeVan, a Chautauqua regular, said the suspect “tried to stab him as many times as he could before he succumbed”, adding that he believed the man was “trying to kill” Rushdie.
Rushdie, brought into focus with her second novel ‘Midnight Children’ in 1981, won international acclaim and the prestigious British Booker Prize for her portrait of contemporary India. post-independence. But his 1988 book ‘The Satanic Verses’ caught his eye when it sparked a religious decree calling him to death of Iranian revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
The novel is considered by some Muslims to be disrespectful to the Prophet Mohammed.
Rushdie, who was born in India to non-Muslims and is today identified as an atheist, was forced to go underground because of a bounty placed on his head – this remains until today.
