Salman Rushdie on recovering phase says agent

• Salman Rushdie, 75, was stabbed on stage while speaking at a New York state event.
• He suffered nerve damage in one arm, liver damage, and would most certainly lose an eye.
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• Hadi Matar, 24, is suspected of storming the stage and stabbing Mr Rushdie.

Author Salman Rushdie has began his “road to recovery,” but it will be a long one, According to his representative.

Mr Rushdie, 75, was critically hurt after being stabbed on stage while speaking at a New York state event.

He has suffered death threats for years because of his novel The Satanic Verses, which some Muslims consider blasphemous.

The guy charged in connection with the attack on Friday has pleaded not guilty to attempted murder.

“He’s off the ventilator, so the road to recovery has begun,” his agent Andrew Wylie said.

“It will be long; the injuries are severe, but his condition is headed in the right direction.”

Hadi Matar, 24, is suspected of storming the stage and stabbing Salman Rushdie at least ten times in the face, neck, and belly.

According to Mr Wylie, the famed novelist suffered nerve damage in one arm, liver damage, and would most certainly lose an eye.

Mr Rushdie was preparing to give a speech about how the United States has acted as a safe haven for such writers before the attack.

President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden issued a statement on Saturday, saying they were “shocked and horrified” by the incident and that Mr Rushdie “stands for vital, universal ideas.”

After The Satanic Verses was published in 1988, the novelist was compelled to go into hiding for nearly ten years. Many Muslims were outraged, claiming that the depiction of the Prophet Muhammad was a major affront to their faith.

Mr Rushdie endured death threats, and the then-Iranian leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, issued a fatwa (or decree) calling for his killing, with a $3 million (£2.5 million) price on his head.

Although Iran’s government has distanced itself from Mr Khomeini’s proclamation, a quasi-official Iranian religious charity increased the incentive to $500,000 in 2012.

Mr Matar, of Fairview, New Jersey, was born in the United States to parents who immigrated from Lebanon, according to a Lebanese official.

According to NBC News, an examination of his social media accounts suggests he is sympathetic to the interests of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRG).

However, no conclusive relationship has been established with the IRG, a strong military, political, and economic power close to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and many other top figures.

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