By James Lomuscio
Salman Rushdie: appearing at Staples. Contributed photo
Westport Schools Superintendent Elliott Landon said today that despite some parents’ worries about author Salman Rushdie being at Staples High School Thursday, he’s delighted that the controversial writer is coming to speak.
“I think as a community we should be delighted,” Landon said about Rushdie, a 68-year-old British Indian novelist and essayist.
In 1989, Rushdie made worldwide news when Iran’s Ayatolla Ruholla Khomeni issued a fatwa (edict) calling for the author’s assassination for his book “Satanic Verses” considered blasphemous by Muslims.
“It’s a huge honor that we are the only high school to have Salman Rushdie speaking at it,” he added. “I think it’s great!”
That doesn’t mean Landon is ignoring safety concerns, he stressed. He said the administration is working closely with the Westport Police Department on security measures to assure a smooth night.
Landon’s comments came in reaction to a dozen emails he received from parents objecting to Rushdie scheduled presence, plus fears voiced by a mother at Monday night’s Board of Education meeting.
“There was a woman who was hysterical, crying, and saying, ‘My daughter’s afraid to come to school,” said Landon. “I have to say I got about a dozen emails objecting, and for every one, I must have gotten 100 of support.”
Rushdie is coming to town to deliver the Westport Library’s Malloy Lecture in the Arts, “one of their big, big events,” Landon said.
The event begins at 7:30 p.m. with doors opening at 6:30 p.m. Although free, attendees were required to obtain tickets, whose supply was quickly exhausted after the August announcement of his appearance, the library said.
The library sent an email to registered attendees saying tickets are not transferable and will be cross-checked with the reservation list at the door.
In addition, no bags or purses of any type will be allowed in the building.
“They couldn’t do it in the library because there wasn’t enough room, and they couldn’t do it in Town Hall for the same reason, and we always want to help the library,” said Landon.
He said the school system had originally planned to hold the event in the Bedford Middle School auditorium, but it, too, was not large enough to accommodate an expected 1,000 attendees.
Landon said Staples fit the bill since it auditorium seats more than 800, and overflow crowds can congregate in the school’s library where Rushdie will be seen on television monitors.
Landon said that prior to the talk, Rushdie will meet with about 60 advanced placement (AP) English literature students who read his recent book being considered for the Nobel Prize in Literature, “Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights.”
“They will meet with him and ask questions about the book they read,” Landon said.
Though excited about Rushdie’s arrival, Landon said he did not want to trivialize some parents’ concerns in an age of terrorism, and that he has been working closely with the Westport Police Department on security.
“We met with the police, and they’ve been wonderful, and they said just to be on the safe side, it’s better to be overly cautious,” Landon said.
“We agreed. So, at 4 o’clock we will empty the school, the same way you would do before you have a major event, and we’ve told the kids to take all their backpacks outside the building to be safe, and that there should be no handbags left inside.
“And after he (Rushdie) leaves, the cops will do a sweep again, so it’s safe,” he said. “The only thing we care about is safety.”
Rushdie is making a number of U.S. public appearances. He talked Sunday at the Brooklyn Public Library.
Earlier this month he gave lectures at the Cheltenham Literature Festival in England and at the Frankfurt Book Fair, an engagement that caused Iran to cancel its presence there.
The Malloy lecture is named after the late Westport artist and art patron Susan Malloy, who died in April at age 91. (See WestportNow April 14, 2015)
Although Rushdie’s speaking fee was not disclosed, published reports said he is among the highest paid speakers on the lecture circuit, earning up to $90,000 for past appearances.
Ditto. And yes I have a daughter at the school as well. And she’s not at all worried about this. She has been to airports. Where there are soldier with guns, backpacks get taken away, and they won’t even let you take a bottle of water with you. According to your world view, bringing her to an airport where she is exposed to those things is a bad idea and could make her feel “unsafe”.
These are high school students. They are studying the Middle East, reading 1984, and learning about the importance of free speech and supporting it.
So yes, in that spirit, you are entitled to have offered up your dissenting view. However there is a difference between expressing an opinion and trying to whip other parents into a fearful frenzy to make them conform to your minority view.
And if I let you you babble on about this exaggerated set of concerns and scare people uneccesarily I would be setting a bad example for my daughters. Kids reflect they attitudes of their parents. I want mine to be brave, strong and supportive of the arts and free speech. You are free to model whatever attitudes you like for your children. I’m just tired of your endless ranting in an effort to scare mine.
The one thing that this is missing is that this speaker comes with security risks. The school is being evacuated at 4pm all back backs must be removed from school property or they will be disposed of by authorities and snipers will be on the roof for the safety of the speaker and audience. Who is going to give our kids that kind of security after the event? It is great he going to speak in Westport. The public school however is not a proper setting for this controversial speaker who requires his own snipers and security team to travel with him. Why do our kids have to feel more fearful in school and fear possible retalaition
Sorry Holly my kids do attend Staples. They think its fantastic that we were chosen to host Mr. Rushdie. They also know the facts about him. They are not frightened, they watch the news they see what happens in this great big world of ours. They are also not guided in fear. They fly on airplanes, they travel to other countries such as Israel where the real threat of danger surrounds them everyday, they live their lives .They are quite realistic about the world around us. If people are so fearful for their children’s safety when they most likely will be in their homes perhaps they should take a few days off to make sure the building is completely free of any danger.
Also just got a second email with the superintendent backtracking from the email everyone got yesterday New email from the superintendent – Funny this email does not say anything about the extreme security measures and snipers on the roof which was confirmed by my daughters school counselor today. Way to back track to make people think lighter of the situation! None of the other speakers came with security risks! These people playwright Arthur Miller to poet Billy Collins and dancer Jacques D:17:34
David:
I have to step in again and point out just a few of the ironies in your last Comment, since the topic has now moved to the issue of “Free Speech:
Yes really.
Free speech doesn’t mean free from criticism and debate.
She has made her point. Repeatedly. She went to a PTA meeting, she registered her concerns. She got Channel 12 to put up a poll. She has jumped onto posts like this one to spam them with unrelated news clippings from book fairs in Germany. Nobody has stopped her. She has been free to express herself. She has been heard. Nobody has deleted her posts.
My first post started by asking her to “give it a rest”. As the incremental value of her continuing to flog this topic is now low. People have the facts. They are free to follow her lead and keep their kids home from school (although I have no idea what that would be necessary because surely these alleged terrorists would only want to attack the school while he is in the building, not before he arrives or after he leaves).
But as I said, free speech has a cost. Every time she posts some new alarmist rant, the rest of us have to step in to do our civic duty to be the voice of reason. So her ongoing and currently unproductive exercise of her right to free speech is sucking up our time. Hence my request that we move on. I didn’t request that she take down her post. Just give the rest of us a break so we can get on with our day.
FYI, if anyone has been moved by her arguments to change their plans and not attend his talk, kindly let me know, as this event has been overbooked for months and I know a posse of folks who would love to attend in their place.
“Civic duty to be the voice of REASON ?”
“HAVE to step in ?”
“SUCKING UP OUR TIME ?”
“Give the rest of us a break?”
WHY not just STOP reading the Comments ?
That is a FREE CHOICE.
Great point! Ok I’m done. Have a nice day.
I’m pretty sure the readers of this site can reach a reasonable conclusion as to the safety of their children now based on the perspectives and evidence provided above. Again, if you are now convinced that mongol hordes are headed to our local high school to accomplish something they gave up trying to do 2 decades ago, feel free to pass along your tix to the rest of us. Also any airplane tix you might have bought for your children who shouldn’t be exposed to security procedures there either.
This event was initially planned as a library event the library knew that this speaker would attract many people therefore requiring them to find another venue. Staples High School was always a concern due to security reasons as this speaker is a “controversial” speaker with Fatwa on his head who has spent a few years of his life in hiding. The “board” still decided that they would take the necessary precautions and have the venue be Staples High School. I personally do not think that any controversial events especially one that is a terrorist target no matter how long ago should be on school grounds. There is no reason to put our school in that spotlight no matter how low the risk may be. It’ s not about whether we teach our kids to be brave etc etc we tell our kids to be thoughtful and smart. We say don ‘t go down dangerous roads, don’ t drive fast,our authorities tell us not to come out in storms etc. etc. just because we want to take precautions it doesn’t make us less brave. The “board” is taking precautions however the point that the parents who object are trying to make is that our school should NEVER have been chosen as the venue, that would have been in my opinion the true precaution.
The only person who has to be brave here is Rushdie. He’s the only one with the price on his head. And obviously he’s not too concerned since he teaches at a college and gives talks all the time in libraries, college campuses, etc. He doesn’t live in hiding. If he thought he were endangering the people he talks to he wouldn’t do it. Do the parents of kids at Emory University run around in a panic because he teaches there? I don’t think so.
We don’t need to be brave. We just need to go hear him talk (or not).
I’m still unclear why this is generating such fear. Would you feel the same way if the President or Vice President came to talk? This security is a drop in the bucket compared to what would be required for either of them. Or one of the guys from Seal Team 6? Now those guys need some security.
And why does it make any difference that it’s at the school? Are the lives of people at the library or Barnes and Noble or anywhere else in town worth less? Who cares what building it is in? If you really think people are coming to kill him, shouldn’t you be concerned about the 1000 people going to see him? Not the kids who aren’t? I haven’t seen anyone trying to convince people not to go see him so they can avoid being killed. Just this hysteria about the School. Makes zero sense to me.
Why?
Because our kids aren’t even going to be in school while he is there. It’s a non-issue. If you think he’s a target, fine. That’s why they are screening stuff. To protect him. Not to protect us. He’s the one at risk.
I’ve yet to hear anybody opposed to this use of the venue even articulate what they think the risk is to our kids.
Personally I can’t wait for Friday morning when everyone can see this was hype and hysteria over nothing. Will the rabble rousers apologize then? I’m not holding my breath. I’m mostly just embarrassed that this is what comes up in Internet searches now when you search for Rushdie Speech or School. I know we’re a small town but wow are we acting like one.
I am happy to have taken the time to express my feelings to the media etc. Many people think they have no control and don’t bother to speak out about their concerns. I encourage people to speak how they feel and to not be afraid if someone tries to knock them down. A great lesson to children.
Nope.
Now this is the definition of irony. One day after nothing happens at our school despite mass hysteria over invading foreign terrorists, one American citizen armed with a phone manages to shut down an entire district.
http://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/Fairfield-Schools-in-Lockdown-Over-Threat-336268921.html