'He will survive': Salman Rushdie lost right eye and mobility in one hand after Hadi Matar stabbed him
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Author Salman Rushdie lost the use of one hand and vision in right eye after being viciously attacked while giving a lecture in New York in August. The 75-year-old was stabbed by Hadi Matar as he entered the stage to deliver a speech on artistic freedom at the Chautauqua Institute on August 12.
He is most known for his novel ‘The Satanic Verses’ which prompted a fatwa calling for his death from Iran's supreme leader. Emergency surgery was required for Rushdie after he sustained stab wounds to his neck and stomach, puncture wounds to his right eye and chest and a laceration on his right leg. At the time, it was unknown if Rushdie would survive the attack; in fact, the man who attacked him, Hadi Matar, 24, expressed his surprise at the author's survival in a jailhouse interview. In a recent interview with the Spanish newspaper El Pais, Rushdie's agent, Andrew Wylie, disclosed for the first time the extent of Rushdie's wounds. “His wounds were deep. He lost sight in one eye. He suffered three serious neck injuries and lost mobility in one hand because the nerves were cut by the stab wounds,” Wylie said. “And he suffered another 15 injuries to his chest and torso. So it was a brutal attack”. The agent would not say whether his patient was still in the hospital but he added: “Rushdie will survive.”
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Wylie claimed that he had previously spoken with Rushdie about the potential for an assassination attempt. “The principal danger that he faced so many years after the fatwa was imposed is from a random person coming out of nowhere and attacking [him]. So, you can't protect against that because it's totally unexpected and illogical. It was like John Lennon['s murder].” But just days prior to being attacked, Rushdie had stated in an interview that his life had returned to "very normal again" after years of concealment and death threats. Early in August, Rushdie stated in an interview with the German magazine Stern that death threats "have become more normal" but that he was no longer alarmed by the fatwa. “A fatwa is a serious thing. Luckily we didn't have the internet back then. The Iranians had send the fatwa to the mosques by fax. That's all a long time ago. Nowadays my life is very normal again, Rushdie said at the time to Stern.
When the suspect in Rushdie's stabbing appeared in court on August 18, he entered a not-guilty plea to counts of assault and second-degree attempted murder. Matar showed up in court donning a white Covid-19 mask and a jumpsuit with grey stripes, according to District Attorney Jason Schmidt: Matar was prohibited from contacting Rushdie after Schmidt argued that he should remain in detention while the attack trial is ongoing. Additionally, he granted his defense lawyer's request for a temporary gag order to prevent the parties from discussing the matter with the media.