European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 19, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 10 the stars and stripes Andrew j. Glass satanic verses juror evokes old conflict in the divine comedy the florentine poet Dante Alighieri consigned Mohammed the founder of islam to the ninth Circle of the inferno along with other Sowers of schism and 1095, a few centuries before Dante wrote his epic poem Pope Urban had summoned the crusaders to oust by fire and sword the wicked race from Jerusalem and other holy places of christianity. That millennium old struggle has vaulted once More from the history books to the headlines with the publication of Salman Rushdie s the satanic verses an allegorical novel that devout Muslim claim depicts their revered Prophet in a blasphemous Light. In some respects the worldwide juror Over Rush die s Book evokes the uproar spawned last year by the last temptation of Christ a Hollywood film based on a greek novel that deeply offended som Christian leaders for its portrayal of Jesus Christ As a vulnerable human being. There Are differences however. The Koran the holy Book of islam stresses that Mohammed lacked supernatural Powers or divine attributes. Accordingly the world s 850 million muslims rarely refer to themselves As Mohammedans. That term still in use in the Western world implies that they worship Mohammed As christians worship Christ William f. Buckley or. Which they do not. It would be foolish to dismiss such distinctions Arno More than semantic Fol de Rol. For As the appear Ance of the satanic verses in British and Ameri can bookstores proves anew in the Muslim world words alone can spawn deadly riots trigger threat son their author s life and tear governments asunder. Behind this ferment lies a schism in values As Olds the crusades themselves. The breach belies Globe spanning jets or a supposedly homogeneous popular culture devised to equally entertain audiences in hindu Bombay Muslim Bahrain or secular Berlin. Words do matter. The phrase Muslim extremists is Apt to appear in any recent account of events in Lebanon or the sabotage of a jumbo to the palestinian uprising the reaction among so called jewish extremists is also i Vogue. But How often Are right Wing death squads in Al Salvador referred to As Christian extremists Rushdie a self described lapsed Muslim came to Britain As a 14-year-old Schoolboy from his native Bombay. In his Book he refers to Mohammed by his Christian name of Mahoud. For believers Mohammed in arabic Means highly Praise this usage evokes the detested medieval crusaders who invariably used the same name. The huge Bounty placed on his head forced Rush die into hiding thereby curbing his civil rights. The French preparing to celebrate the 200th anniversary of their supposedly enlightened revolution have banned his Book thereby curbing Rushdie literary rights. Before disappearing Rushdie told a bbl inter viewer religious leaders let s say who Are Able to behave like this and then say that this is a Reli Gion that must be above any kind of whisper of criticism i mean that does t add up. It seems Tome that islamic fundamentalists could do with a Little criticism right yet Rushdie s remarks aimed at like minded souls miss the Point. Since islam teaches the Faith Ful to respond whenever they feel the principles of their Faith Are being trampled one can never strike a Compromise on such issues with True believers. Muslim countries from Morocco to indo Nesia May turn away from the West ban liquor sales impose native dress codes replace the teach ing of English with that of arabic and in general proclaim a strict Muslim code known As sharia to be the Law of the land. But for those who still grapple with the images of the crusades it can never be enough. C Cox news service drinking womanizing no grounds to dump Tower k. Hac a Kri Flor or of to Ollir of the press has been having a Jolly Good time on the matter of John Tower fitness to serve As Secretary of defense. We Are invited to believe that if he participates in any of the activities engaged in by Alexander the great Napoleon and Gen. Grant he is manifestly unfit to serve. The key figure of course is sen. Sam Nunn around whose judgments gravitas closes in like Clouds gathering around Prophet. About a year ago Nunn suddenly announced that the stricter of two plausible versions of the abm ban on testing waste Correct one and i swear it was like the Pope pronouncing sex offi Cio on question of Dogma. A Legal adviser to the state department a skillful former judge presented overwhelming evidence that the strict construction was not the understanding at which the soviet and american negotiators had arrived never mind Nunn had spoken. And now Nunn has said that after All the Secretary of defense is a 24-hour Job. Now the trouble with Decla nations of that order is that they bring with them that inertial Force of authority that tends to silence analytical inspection. If you say gravely that being a goo husband is a 24-hour Job who is going to disagree with you if you say that being Good american is a 24-hour Job who is going to drag you to Hyde Park Corderto dissent the current Issue of time Magazine features some truly scandalous careless Ness by our embassy in Moscow unde Arthur Hartman. And yet or. Hartman is widely considered to be one of the bes ambassadors we be got. Did he fail to consider his responsibilities As our Ambas Sador a 24-Hourjob? you can see that it does t quite Workin that Way. What he did not do was put sufficient emphasis on the Security ques Tion. To judge from the number of americans who have recently betrayed mostly for Money interestingly enough or for love we have bred generation who would rather give our secrets to soviet agents than be charge with mccarthyism. No Job is a "24-hour Job in an meaningful sense of the word. On the matter of whiskey Lincoln faced that question most directly by inquiring into the Brand Grant drank so that he might make it available to his other f. Kennedy was t Secretary of de sense he was commander in chief and if there was a Bimbo in town he did not make a pass at it must have been we learn from progressively revealing accounts that she had Poison Ivy. And yet when the 24-hour-a-Daycrises arrived he served As commander in chief. There Are Good arguments that remade the wrong decisions for instance during the Bay of pigs crisis but none of these was traceable to the distractions of wine women or song. Successful men Are not necessarily ascetic men and Al though a Public is within its rights in declining to elevate to the presidency a candidate who flaunts his immorality itis simply mistaken to suppose that failed marriages and occasional draughts of Good spirits ruin our kindly and gentle nation any More than they ruined the wedding at Cana. . Rosenthal of the new Yor times raises a pretty Good Point when he says look John Tower and Sam Nunn were for 12 years members of the Sam Senate committee. And for 20 years John Tower was on that committee during the end serving As its chairman. Surely they have an idea whether booze gets in the Way of his thinking and judgment it happens that i have seen John Tower Here and there Over the years in Likely and unlikely places. We have had wine together in Saigon and in Wichita in Washington of course but also i Austin Texas where one night he and George Bush and i and other worthies a to he Success of the Republic and of Texas republicans. That was in 1970 and the Republic lost but the loss was made More bearable by the High spirits of those who joined together to wish it a Safe journey through the Long Winter. Why is the confirmation of John Tower being held up after 24 years in the Senate he leaves that honorable body and makes a living As a consultant for that huge Arm of Industry devoted to making the hardware of defense. And at this occupation he is successful. One does t need to think for 24 hours to come up with the names of a half dozen former democratic Cabinet members who have been at least As successful ply ing their knowledge after the end of their official careers. No they Don t like Tower because he is a hard boiled de fender of the continuing role of the Mili tary. But so is Sam Nunn except when won Over by Ristic interpretations of treaty he misunderstands As a guarantee of perpetual impotence in space. George Bush is right to stand by his distinguished Choice for Secretary of defense. C Universal press Syndicate
