Durban writer praises Rushdie, attackedNEWSWATCH: Durban writer Zainub Priya Dala believes she was assaulted for expressing admiration for controversial novelist Salman Rushdie, reports Mail & Guardian... Praising Salman Rushdie (pictured) resulted in a physical assault on Durban writer Zainub Priya Dala. (Image: Public Domain) For more:
Penguin Random House South Africa condemns the attack on writer ZP DalaThe publisher has issued the following statement: "Dala, one of the featured writers at the Time of the Writer Festival taking place in Durban from 16 to 21 March, was assaulted a day after expressing her admiration for the writing style of Salman Rushdie. "On Wednesday, 18 March, Dala's car was followed from the festival hotel and she was harassed by three men in a vehicle who forced her to stop. She was hit in the face with a brick and called "Rushdie's bitch". "She has been treated by her doctor and has reported the incident to the police. "Dala believes that the attack occurred as a result of a comment she made during a writing forum for schools at the Chatsworth Education Centre. Dala, when asked which writers she admired, answered that she liked Salman Rushdie's literary style. A group of teachers and learners left the forum. "Steve Connolly, Managing Director of Penguin Random House in South Africa, says: 'We condemn completely the brutish attack on author ZP Dala. Her crime? To have expressed her admiration for the writing of Salman Rushdie, which heralded a walk-out by teachers and students. Have we reached such a state of intolerance that we cannot listen to one writer profess admiration for another without wanting to attack her with a brick and a knife? If our constitution is to mean anything we must ensure our right to free speech.'"
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