On Sunday, two days after the author of “The Satanic Verses,” his agent confirmed that “Salman Rushdie” is on his way to recovery. seriously injured by stabbing At a lecture in Upstate New York.
The news came after the announcement that the acclaimed author had been taken off the ventilator on Saturday and was able to talk and joke. Mr Wyllie continued to warn that although Mr Rushdie’s “situation is heading in the right direction,” his recovery will be a long process. Mr Wylie had previously said that Mr Rushdie, 75, had a liver failure and had broken nerves in one arm and one eye, and was likely injured.
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Earlier in the day, the man was charged with assault on Friday at the Chautauqua Institution, a non-profit education and retreat center. pleaded not guilty To attempt what a prosecutor called a “premeditated” crime, including murder and assault charges.
A lawyer for Hadi Matar filed the petition on her behalf during her appearance in western New York. The suspect appeared in court wearing a black and white jumpsuit and a white face mask, with his hands tied in front of him.
A judge ordered him to be kept without bail after District Attorney Jason Schmidt told Peas, 24, that Mr. Rushdie took steps to knowingly put himself in a position to harm Rushdie, receiving an advance pass for that event. where the author was speaking and was arriving the day before. a fake ID.
“It was a targeted, unprovoked, premeditated attack on Mr. Rushdie,” Mr. Schmidt said.
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Public defender Nathaniel Barron complained that officers took too long to bring Peas before a judge, while he was “linked to a bench in state police barracks.”
“They have that constitutional right to presumed innocence,” Mr Barron said.
Wyllie said Friday evening that Mr Rushdie, 75, had a liver failure and a broken vein in an arm and an eye. There was a possibility of losing the injured eye.
The attack was met with shock and outrage across much of the world, along with tribute and praise for the award-winning author, who has faced death threats for “The Satanic Verses” for more than 30 years.
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Writers, activists and government officials cited Mr. Rushdie’s courage and long standing advocacy of free speech despite the risks to his own security. Writer and longtime friend Ian McEwan called Rushdie “an inspirational defender of persecuted writers and journalists around the world”, and actor-writer Kal Penn called him “an inspiration to an entire generation of artists, especially those of us in South Asian countries.” cited as a role model for many of us.” The diaspora to whom he has shown incredible warmth.”
Shocked and saddened: Joe Biden
President Joe Biden said in a statement on Saturday that he and First Lady Jill Biden were “shocked and saddened” by the attack.
“Salman Rushdie – with his insight into humanity, with his unmatched sense for story, with his refusal to be intimidated or silenced – stands for essential, universal ideals,” the statement read. “Truth. Courage. Resilience. The ability to share ideas without fear. These are the building blocks of any free and open society.”
Mr. Rushdie, a native of India who has since lived in Britain and the US, is known for his surreal and satirical prose style, beginning with his Booker Prize-winning 1981 novel “Midnight’s Children”, in which he The then Prime Minister was sharply criticized. Minister Indira Gandhi.
“The Satanic Verses” received death threats after it was published in 1988, a dream sequence based on the life of the Prophet Muhammad, among other objections, as blasphemy by many Muslims. Mr Rushdie’s book was banned and burned in India, Pakistan and elsewhere, before Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini of Iran issued a fatwa, or fatwa, for Rushdie’s death in 1989.
Khomeini died that same year, but the fatwa remained in effect. Iran’s current supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, never issued a fatwa retracting his own fatwa, although in recent years Iran has not focused on the author.
Investigators were working to determine whether the suspect, born a decade after “The Satanic Verses” was published, acted alone.
District Attorney Schmidt cited the fatwa as a possible motive for arguing against the bail.
“Even if this court sets a million dollar bail, we risk getting bail,” Mr Schmidt said.
“Their resources don’t matter to me. We understand that the agenda that was driven yesterday is something that was adopted and approved by large groups and organizations beyond the jurisdiction of Chautauqua County,” prosecutor he said.
Public defender Mr Barron said after the hearing that Peas was communicating openly with him and that he would spend the coming weeks trying to learn more about his client, including whether he had psychological or addiction issues. Or not.
Matar hails from Fairview, New Jersey. Rosaria Calabrese, manager of the State of Fitness Boxing Club, a small, tightly-knit gym in nearby North Bergen, said that the Peas joined on April 11 and participated in about 27 group sessions for beginners, up from several days earlier. Wanted to improve my fitness before emailing. He wanted to cancel his subscription because “he won’t be back for a while.”
Gym owner Desmond Boyle said he saw “nothing violent” about Peas, describing him as polite and calm, yet someone who always looked “extremely sad”. He said Matar resisted attempts by him and others to welcome and include him.
Mr. Boyle said, “He had this look every time he came in. It looked like it was the worst day of his life.”
Born to Lebanese Parents
Matar was born in the United States to parents who hailed from Yaroun in southern Lebanon, the village’s mayor, Ali Tehfe, explained. The Associated Press,
Flags of the Iran-backed Shia terrorist group Hezbollah are visible throughout the village, along with portraits of leader Hassan Nasrallah, Mr Khamenei, Khomeini and slain Iranian general Qasem Soleimani.
Journalists visiting Yaron on Saturday were asked to leave. Hezbollah spokespersons did not respond to requests for comment.
Salman Rushdie | the language of truth
Iran’s religious government and its state media gave no motive for the attack. In Tehran, some Iranians interviewed by the AP praised the attack on a writer they believe had tarnished the Islamic faith, while others worried it would further isolate their country.
one on friday AP The reporter saw Rushdie stab or punch him about 10 or 15 times.
Event moderator Henry Reese, 73, suffered a face injury and was treated and discharged from hospital, police said. He and Mr. Rushdie had planned to discuss the United States as a refuge for writers and other artists in exile.
Visitors question lack of security
A state trooper and a county sheriff’s deputy were assigned to lecture Mr Rushdie, and police said the soldier made the arrest. But some longtime visitors to the Chautauqua Institute later questioned why there was no tight security after threats against Mr Rushdie and a bounty of more than $3 million on his head.
On Saturday, the Center said it was increasing security through measures such as requiring photo IDs to purchase gate passes, which could be obtained anonymously earlier. Patrons entering the amphitheater will also be barred from carrying bags of any kind where Mr Rushdie was attacked.
The changes, along with a growing presence of armed police officers on the secret base, came as a blow to the Chautauquans, who have long enjoyed the quiet environment for which the nearly 150-year-old holiday colony is known.
Sales of ‘The Satanic Verses’ soar
News about the stabbing has sparked renewed interest in “The Satanic Verses”, which topped best-seller lists after the 1989 fatwa was issued. As of Saturday afternoon, the novel was ranked 13th on Amazon.com.
Mr Rushdie faced death threats and bounties after the book’s publication, leading him to hide under a British government protection program, which included an armed guard. After nine years of solitary confinement, Mr Rushdie cautiously resumed more public appearances.
In 2012 he published a memoir about the fatwa titled “Joseph Anton”, the pseudonym he used while in hiding.
He said that year during a speech in New York that terrorism is indeed the art of fear: “You can defeat it only by deciding not to be afraid.”