Salman
Rushdie, author of the celebrated Midnight’s Children and the controversial The
Satanic Verses, is on a ‘long road to recovery,’ according to the author’s
agent, reports the BBC. The 75-year-old author was left severely injured after
being stabbed multiple times while speaking at an event in New York, USA.
Andrew Wylie, the author’s agent, said, “He’s off the ventilator, so the road
to recovery has begun…It will be long; the injuries are severe, but his
condition is headed in the right direction.” He added that the novelist suffered
severed nerves in one arm, damage to his liver, and is likely to lose an eye.

Also Read | Salman Rushdie health update: Taken off ventilator after stabbing, can talk

The
suspect, 24-year-old Hadi Matar is being held without bail. He is accused of
running onto stage and stabbing Rushdie at least 10 times in the face, neck and
abdomen. Rushdie reportedly Rushdie was supposed to speak on how the United
States is a safe haven for writers. Rushdie had to spend 10 years in hiding
after the publishing of The Satanic Verses in 1988. Many Muslims reacted to the
novel with fury, arguing that the portrayal of Prophet Mohammad was a grave
insult to the truth.

At the
time, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhoallah Khomeini issued a fatwa or
decree calling for Rushdie’s assassination, placing a $3 million bounty on the
author’s head. While subsequent Iranian governments distanced themselves from
the fatwa, a quasi-religious Iranian foundation added $500,000 to the reward in
2012.    

Also Read | Hadi Matar: All you need to know about man who attacked Salman Rushdie

Hadi Matar,
the alleged assailant, is from Fairfax, New Jersey. He was born in the United
States to parents who emigrated from Lebanon, a Lebanese official told the
media.

United
States President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden have joined the widespread
condemnation of the attack. They said Salman Rushdie stands for essential and
universal ideals.