Friedrich Nietzsche said, “No artist tolerates reality.” That is what Rushdie did when he challenged the existing religious norms which were misogynistic and stringent in ‘Satanic Verses’. It has been over a month since the tragic attack on the world-renowned author Salman Rushdie. In August, the author was stabbed during an ongoing talk which injured him severely and he was on the ventilator.
The spokesperson of t he author informed that the attack has affected his eye, liver, and nerves. In August 2022, Rushdie was invited to a talk at Chautauqua, New York after years in the refuge. However, a man jumped on stage and stabbed his torso and neck. He was rushed to a hospital in Pennsylvania where his treatment began. Now, reports about the progress in his health are updated and they are concerning.
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“It Was A Brutal Attack”: Spokesperson For Salman Rushdie Gave An Update About His Health
The author has been an invincible voice when it comes to free speech. On the fateful day of the Fall, the author was brutally attacked during a talk in New York. The subject of the talk was how America is safe for exiled writers. Ironically, he was stabbed in the same country which was to provide a haven for the authors.
A young 24-year-old boy from New Jersey, Hadi Matar was the perpetrator. As per reports, the man out of nowhere jumped on the stage and continued “repeated beating and first strokes on chest and neck.” A police trooper arrested the man when the hall erupted into yells, cries, and gasps. Now, the agent of the author, Andrew Wylie has given a further update on the status of Salman’s health.
While talking to a Spanish news outlet, Andrew said that the attacks were so brutal that the author lost vision in one eye. He also informed the outlet that his hand has become “incapacitated” and Rushdie has endured “three serious wounds in his neck and 15 and more wounds to chest and torso.” Wylie said that “He’s going to live. That’s the more important thing.” He also added that the attack was brutal and that injuries were “profound.”
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Why Was He Attacked In The First Place?
Salman Rushdie, a British Kashmiri Muslim, has been a controversial figure who dabbles in religious and political themes. The author started his career in 1975 with ‘Grimus’. However, it was in 1981, that he published his next book ‘Midnight’s Children’ which encapsulated the post-partition climate in Modern India. The book became critics’ and audiences’ favorite instantaneously. He won the ‘Man Booker Prize’ for the book.
However, it was the fourth book that created a global stir so much so that his life was in danger. In 1988, the author published his fourth book titled ‘Satanic Verses’. The book explored the now allegedly removed Quran verses addressed to pagan Goddesses, but Muhammad removed them after he realized that “the devil had sent those revelations to fool him”. The character named ‘Manhound’, who is believed to be Muhammed as he appears in the dream sequences, was the main contention.
It is said that the word ‘Manhound’ was used in medieval Christian texts and plays as a satanic figure. This enraged the Muslim population of the world for representing Muhammed in a false light. Due to blasphemous content, the then-leader of Iran Ayatollah Khomeini released a fatwa against him. The fatwa proposed an offer for Muslims to kill Rushdie to win a cash prize of around $3 million. There was a lot of violence that occurred post the book’s release. It was so intense that the author had to go into exile. The fatwa is still ongoing with people wanting to kill the author. This might have triggered the young boy to execute the fatwa and kill him for disregarding religious beliefs and icons.
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