Author Salman Rushdie has for the first time revealed his personal experiences in relation to the knife attack on him in New York, which resulted in the loss of vision in one eye.
Rushdie has shared that he has been having "crazy dreams" about the incident and has sought assistance from a therapist to help him cope with the psychological aftermath of the trauma.
The Booker Prize-winning author who is now 76 years old and originally from Mumbai, India, was attacked almost a year ago while being on stage. He was stabbed multiple times by the accused individual named Hadi Matar, who is currently detained in prison on charges of attempted murder.
During an interview with the BBC, Rushdie said he was in "two minds" about whether to face his alleged attacker, who has pleaded not guilty, in court.
"I have a very good therapist who has a lot of work to do. I have crazy dreams," the novelist said. "If he changes his plea to guilty then actually there's not a trial, there's just a sentencing, and it may well be that then my presence isn't required. I'm in two minds about it. There's one bit of me that actually wants to go and stand on the court and look at him and there's another bit of me that just can't be bothered.
"I don't have a very high opinion of him. And I think what is important to me now is that you're able to find life continuing. I'm more engaged with the business of, you know, getting on with it," he said when asked if he plans to attend Matar's trial later this year.
As a result of the attack, Rushdie sustained severe injuries, including liver damage, loss of vision in one eye, and a paralyzed hand due to nerve damage in his arm.
"The human body has an amazing capacity to heal. And so, I'm fortunate to be well on that way," said the author of ‘Midnight's Children' who says he feels physically “more or less OK”.
Rushdie is currently engaged in writing a book centered around the near-fatal stabbing incident as a way to navigate and come to terms with his harrowing experience.
During a virtual interview with the BBC, he mentioned that the book would not be more than a "couple of hundred of pages" long.
"There's this colossal elephant in the room and, until I deal with that, it is difficult to take seriously anything else," he noted.
The British American author, who lives in New York, has been the subject of a fatwa by Iranian leader Ayatollah Khomeini for his controversial novel ‘The Satanic Verses' issued over 30 years ago and has had several death threats over that time.
His latest book, ‘Victory City', was finished just before the attack in August last year and has been well-received by critics.
(PTI)
English questioning rose from 20 per cent to 31 per cent, and racist jokes from 36 per cent to 41 per cent
Workplace violence against Black and ethnic minority employees rises to 26 per cent
Highlights
The Trades Union Congress surveyed 1,044 Black, Asian and ethnic minority employees. The results show clear increases in racist behaviour between 2020 and 2026.
Workers having their English questioned rose from 20 per cent to 31 per cent. Those hearing racist jokes went up from 36 per cent to 41 per cent.
Racist comments made to workers or around them increased from 31 per cent to 36 per cent.
Violence and threats
The most worrying finding involves physical threats and violence, which jumped from 19 per cent to 26 per cent.
Racist posts shared on workplace social media grew from 22 per cent to 28 per cent. Racist materials being passed around increased from 19 per cent to 25 per cent.
Beyond direct racism, many workers face unfair treatment. Nearly half (45 per cent) said they get harder or less popular jobs.
Over two in five (43 per cent) receive unfair criticism. The same number (41 per cent) stay stuck on temporary contracts.
Work conditions got worse too. Those not getting enough hours rose from 30 per cent to 40 per cent.
Workers denied overtime went from 30 per cent to 37 per cent. Being kept on short-term contracts increased from 33 per cent to 41 per cent.
Direct managers cause most unfair treatment (35 per cent), followed by other managers (19 per cent).
Bullying mainly comes from direct managers (30 per cent) and colleagues (28 per cent). Racist behaviour mostly comes from colleagues (33 per cent) and customers or clients (22 per cent).
Paul Nowak, TUC general secretary, said: "Black and ethnic minority workers are facing appalling and growing levels of racism and unfair treatment in Britain. This racism is plaguing the labour market – and it's getting worse."
The TUC is calling for urgent government action to tackle the problem. The union wants ring-fenced funding for the Equality and Human Rights Commission to enforce workplace protections.
It is pushing for mandatory ethnicity pay gap reporting for companies with over 50 employees.
The TUC says the Employment Rights Act, which makes employers responsible for protecting workers from harassment by customers and clients, will be an important step forward.
The union also wants employers to treat racial harassment as a health and safety issue and monitor ethnicity data across recruitment, pay and promotions.