Literary icons react to Salman Rushdie getting stabbed onstage

Responding to the attack on the Mumbai-born author, Novelist Ian McEwan said, "This appalling attack on my dear friend Salman represents an assault on freedom of thought and speech.

"These are the freedoms that underpin all our rights and liberties.

"Salman has been an inspirational defender of persecuted writers and journalists across the world. He is a fiery and generous spirit, a man of immense talent and courage and he will not be deterred."

Legendary storyteller Stephen King took to Twitter and wrote, "I hope Salman Rushdie is okay."

On Twitter, the British novelist and philanthropist J.K Rowling said, "Horrifying news".

Rushdie, who currently is unable to speak and was placed on the ventilator Friday evening, was attacked by 24-year-old Hadi Matar of Fairview, New Jersey, the State Police said.

Reacting to the attack on the author, exiled Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen tweeted, "24-year-old Iranian-American Hadi Matar attacked Rushdie.

"Hadi Matar's facebook account featured images of Ayatollah Khomeini, who issued a fatwa against Rushdie in 1989, and his successor Ayatollah Khamenei. You can now guess the motive of the attack."

Author David Baddiel wrote, “It’s appalling what has happened to Salman Rushdie. It’s also appalling that there are people who will think he brought it on himself or somehow deserved it."

Taking a solid stand for free speech, Nasreen tweeted,"Critics of Islam were first killed in the 7th century. They still get killed in the 21st century. They will continue to be killed until Islam is reformed, free speech is allowed, violence is denounced, the breeding ground for extremism is demolished, no book is considered holy."