More than 80 prominent writers, artists, filmmakers and journalists have expressed shock and anger at the August 12 attack on renowned author Salman Rushdie, terming it a ''heinous act'' and a ''condemnable move against freedom of expression.''
The signatories to the statement issued by the Chinta Ravindran Foundation included writers M. T. Vasudevan Nair, N. S. Madhavan, M. Mukundan, Sara Joseph, Paul Zachariah and Anand, auteur Adoor Gopalakrishnan, poet K. Satchidanandan and journalist T. J. S. George.
Expressing solidarity with the author of novels such as Midnight's Children and The Satanic Verses, they described the attack as an instance of ''a great crisis faced by creative pursuits in recent times.'' They wished him a speedy recovery and quick return to writing.
Mr. Rushdie was stabbed by an assailant at Chautauqua in New York where he was scheduled to give a talk on August 12.
Mr. Rushdie ''has been under the shadow of death threats for decades for what he once wrote. The call to kill him was, by itself, a condemnable move against freedom of expression. The fact that Rushdie was spending many years of his life in hiding, unable to experience even the simple comforts of life, yet was active in writing reveals his passion for creativity. The present incident was intended to completely silence the writer and to punish him for what he wrote,'' the statement said.
The attack on the author, who is a man of peace and who deals only in words, is yet another example of the violent intolerance of dissent that is dangerously gaining momentum, the statement said.
‘’We think, it is the need of the hour for writers, artists, art lovers and readers to protest against this dastardly act and its dangerous implications,” it added.
