“Let us prove the magic of global unity against authorities besotted with power and greed.”
“Dear writers, thinkers, and sympathizers, I implore you to help the Iranian people free themselves from the grip of the Islamic Republic, or morally speaking, please help end the suffering of the Iranian people,” Mohammadi wrote from prison in a letter read aloud at the ceremony. Other honorees Thursday included “Saturday Night Live” producer Lorne Michaels and the imprisoned Iranian journalist and activist Narges Mohammadi, who was given the PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award. PEN galas have long been a combination of literature, politics, activism and celebrity, with attendees ranging from Alec Baldwin to Sen. Rushdie was clearly elated to attend the gala, but his voice sounded frailer than it once did and the right frame of his glasses was dark, concealing the eye blinded by his attacker. Earlier this week, he delivered a video message to the British Book Awards, where he was given a Freedom to Publish prize. Since then he has since granted few interviews and otherwise communicated through his Twitter account and prepared remarks. The Ayatollah issued a decree calling for Rushdie’s death, forcing the author into hiding, although he had been traveling freely for years before the stabbing. The struggle goes on.”Īttacks against Rushdie have been feared since the late 1980s and the publication of his novel “The Satanic Verses,” which Iran’s Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini condemned as blasphemous for passages referring to the Prophet Mohammad. The courage, that day, was all theirs, and I thank them for saving my life,” he said. I was the target that day, but they were the heroes. “I accept this award, therefore, on behalf of all those who came to my rescue.
0 kommentar(er)
