White House condemns Rushdie attack and calls it ‘reprehensible’

• Salman Rushdie was stabbed before delivering a speech at the Chautauqua Institution.
• Rushdie has been under the danger of a fatwa since 1989.
• The White House called the stabbing “reprehensible”.

The White House called Salman Rushdie’s stabbing “reprehensible,” and Biden administration officials are praying for his recovery.

Rushdie was stabbed numerous times on Friday before delivering a speech at the Chautauqua Institution in Chautauqua, New York. The assailant allegedly stormed the stage and stabbed him in the neck. Rushdie is having surgery at a nearby hospital.

“Today, the country and the world witnessed a reprehensible attack against the writer Salman Rushdie,” White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said in a statement. “This act of violence is appalling. All of us in the Biden-Harris Administration are praying for his speedy recovery.”

“We are thankful to good citizens and first responders for helping Mr. Rushdie so quickly after the attack and to law enforcement for its swift and effective work, which is ongoing,” he continued.

A State Trooper deployed to the event at the Chautauqua Institution apprehended the suspect, 24-year-old Hadi Matar, soon after the attack, according to New York State Police. The event moderator was also injured in the head.

Rushdie’s agent, Andrew Wylie, informed The New York Times that the writer is on a ventilator and unable to talk.

“The news is not good,” Wylie said. “Salman will likely lose one eye; the nerves in his arm were severed; and his liver was stabbed and damaged.”

Rushdie has been under the danger of a fatwa since 1989, when Iran’s Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini condemned his book, “The Satanic Verses,” as blasphemy and demanded for his execution. The book was likewise prohibited in Iran. A fatwa is a religious decree issued by an Islamic religious official.

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