Joe Biden Condemns Attack On Salman Rushdie, Lauds Author For His 'Refusal To Be Intimidated Or Silenced'

US President Joe Biden prayed for Salman Rushdie's health and recovery as he said the Mumbai-born writer stands for essential and universal ideals -- truth, courage and resilience

US President Joe Biden praised author Salman Rushdie for his ‘refusal to be intimidated or silenced.’

Source : PTI | Getty Images

New Delhi: US President Joe Biden on Saturday expressed shock and condemned the attack on author Salman Rushdie as ‘vicious’ a day after he was stabbed in New York during a lecture. Biden prayed for his health and recovery and said the Mumbai-born writer stands for essential and universal ideals -- truth, courage, and resilience.

In a statement, Biden praised the author of The Satanic Verses for his ‘refusal to be intimidated or silenced.’

"Jill and I were shocked and saddened to learn of the vicious attack on Salman Rushdie yesterday in New York. We, together with all Americans and people around the world, are praying for his health and recovery. I am grateful to the first responders and the brave individuals who jumped into action to render aid to Rushdie and subdue the attacker," Biden said in a statement.

"Salman Rushdie -- with his insight into humanity, with his unmatched sense for story, with his refusal to be intimidated or silenced -- stands for essential, universal ideals. Truth. Courage. Resilience. The ability to share ideas without fear," he added.

"These are the building blocks of any free and open society. And today, we reaffirm our commitment to those deeply American values in solidarity with Rushdie and all those who stand for freedom of expression," the US president said, according to the White House statement.

In a separate statement, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan described the attack on Rushdie as reprehensible. "This act of violence is appalling. All of us in the Biden-Harris Administration are praying for his speedy recovery," Sullivan said, reported news agency PTI.

Conveying thanks for all the support to the author, he said, "We are thankful to good citizens and first responders for helping Rushdie so quickly after the attack and to law enforcement for its swift and effective work, which is ongoing," he noted.

A 24-year-old man named Hadi Matar, who apparently sympathised with Shia extremism and Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, stabbed the author in his neck and abdomen.

The author had faced Islamist death threats for years after writing the controversial book The Satanic Verses. The accused, who is a US national of Lebanese origin, attacked him on stage on Friday while he was being introduced at a literary event of the Chautauqua Institution in Western New York.

"The news is not good," said the 75-year-old writer's agent, Andrew Wylie about Rushdie's critical health condition. The incident sending shockwaves across the literary world which condemned the incident as an attack on freedom of expression.