Western authors and officials have strongly condemned the attack on the Indian-born British-American novelist Salman Rushdie, who was stabbed in New York state on Friday. Iranian media and officials, however, reacted by recalling the reasons that prompted the Islamic Republic’s former leader, Ayatollah Khomeini, to issue a religious edict calling for his death back in 1989.
French President Emmanuel blasted the author’s stabbing as a “cowardly attack by the forces of hatred and barbarism,” adding that the “fight against obscurantism” that Rushdie was engaged in is “universal.”
Outgoing British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was “appalled” by the incident, adding that the author of ‘Satanic Verses’ was “exercising a right we should never cease to defend.” The White House national security advisor, Jake Sullivan, also called the attack on Rushdie “appalling” while thanking the first responders for “helping him so swiftly.”
The 75-year-old, who remains in serious condition in a hospital following the attack, also received words of support from a number of prominent writers. JK Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter series, called the news about the attack “horrifying,” while Stephen King expressed his hope that Rushdie is “ok” while blasting his assailant in harsh terms.