Salman Rushdie stabbed: JK Rowling reacts to 'horrifying news'; says 'feeling very sick'

After news agency Associated Press reported that author Salman Rushdie was attacked as he was about to give a lecture in western New York, novelist J. K. Rowling, recognised and well-known for her works on Harry Potter, on August 12 expressed shock over the tragic incident, calling it a 'horrifying news'. 

 J. K. Rowling tweeted:

In a following tweet, Rowling stated that she is feeling sick after hearing the news, and wished for his recovery. Both Rushdie and Rowling are considered among the top authors in the world. 

As Rushdie was about to give a speech at the Chautauqua Institution,  a man stormed the stage and reportedly thrashed and stabbed Rushdie as he was being introduced. The 'Midnight's Children' author was pushed to the floor, and the man was restrained. The attacker was later detained. 

Since 1988, Rushdie’s book “The Satanic Verses” has been banned in Iran, as many Muslims consider it to be blasphemous. In 1989, Iran’s late leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa, or edict, calling for Rushdie’s death.  A reward of over $3 million was offered to anyone who kills Rushdie. In the year 2012, a semi-official Iranian religious foundation raised the bounty for Rushdie from $2.8 million to $3.3 million. 

Salman Rushdie had refused to pay heed to the threats at the time, and had stated that there was no proof of people being interested in the bounty. 

Who is Salman Rushdie? 

Rushdie became a worldwide name after Booker Prize-winning 1981 novel “Midnight’s Children,” but he gained more popularity after his book - “The Satanic Verses.” Rushdie is the author of 14 novels: Grimus, Midnight’s Children, Shame, The Satanic Verses, Haroun and the Sea of Stories, The Moor’s Last Sigh, The Ground Beneath Her Feet, Fury, Shalimar the Clown, The Enchantress of Florence, Luka and the Fire of Life, Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights, and The Golden House, and Quichotte.

In 1983, Rushdie was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. He was appointed Commandeur de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres of France in 1999. In 2007, he was knighted for his services to Literature. In 2008, The Times ranked him 13th on its list of the 50 greatest British writers since 1945.

Image: AP