Tel-Chai Nation

The latest status report on Rushdie, following the attack by a jihadist at a New York institute, and while it's lucky he's still alive, it's sad he now suffers life changing injuries:

Famed author Salman Rushdie lost the use of one hand and an eye after an attack in August by a man who stormed the stage and stabbed him in the neck and torso several times — his agent confirmed last week.

Rushdie, the target of a 1989 death warrant issued by Iran’s Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini over his groundbreaking book “The Satanic Verses,” was wounded while on stage at the Chautauqua Institution in New York on August 12, just before he planned on speaking about artistic freedom.

Andrew Wylie, literary agent for Rushdie, told Spain’s El País that the 75-year-old author would survive the brutal attack after his team kept the details of his injuries private until now.

“[His wounds] were profound, but he’s [also] lost the sight of one eye,” Wylie said. “He had three serious wounds in his neck. One hand is incapacitated because the nerves in his arm were cut. And he has about 15 more wounds in his chest and torso. So, it was a brutal attack.”

Wylie did not confirm whether his client was still hospitalized.

“I can’t give any information about his whereabouts,” Wylie said. “He’s going to live…That’s the more important thing.”

It's fully understandable Rushdie may be in hiding again. But it's still terrible this had to happen, all because no security measures were taken.

It still remains to be seen if his supporters in the literary world will respond to this tragedy by developing books employing themes similar to what the Satanic Verses uses. If they don't, they've failed him along with free speech.

Labels: dhimmitude, iran, islam, jihad, New York, racism, showbiz, United States