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TIME: Almanac 1990
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1990 Time Magazine Compact Almanac, The (1991)(Time).iso
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032089
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03208900.058
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1990-09-17
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LETTERS, Page 4THE AYATULLAH ORDERS A HIT
It is important that we learn the right lesson from the flap
over Salman Rushdie's book The Satanic Verses (WORLD, Feb. 27).
Censorship enforced by religious zealotry is reprehensible, whether
it comes from bearded imams in flowing robes or evangelists in
three-piece suits. The arrogance of a handful of clerics should in
no way be used as an indictment of Islam, a great religion with a
history spanning more than a thousand years.
Pat Sankaran
Houston
I have read parts of this work, and they are demeaning,
disgusting and gross -- not to mention an abominable pack of lies.
Surely everyone must have the right of free speech, but this does
not mean we should abandon decency or surrender integrity to
achieve freedom.
Shameem Alikhan
Katy, Texas
As a strong advocate of freedom of expression, I was stunned
to see how my remarks were interpreted in your coverage of the
Rushdie controversy. I support Rushdie's right to express himself
artistically. Rushdie should not be punished, let alone killed, for
his writing. My comments to your reporter were intended only to
illustrate how some in the Muslim world feel about the book. They
do not represent my personal views and indeed are contrary to my
beliefs.
Georges Sabagh, Director
Center for Near Eastern Studies
University of California, Los Angeles
Anyone who has ever had a single unauthorized thought should
take this Rushdie matter seriously. We apparently need a bumper
sticker to remind us constantly that totalitarianism happens.
Helen Ermutlu
Atlanta
Under the literary cloak of dreams, Rushdie not only insults
and curses historical figures important in Islam but also takes a
swipe at the religion itself. For centuries, Islam has been the
recipient of hostile denunciations by Western commentators. What
Muslims fear is that when someone who was born in the faith
indulges in the same, albeit tangentially and fictionally, all the
earlier criticisms appear to be somehow vindicated.
Fakhruddin Ahmed
Princeton Junction, N.J.
The Muslim fundamentalists succeeded in getting The Satanic
Verses temporarily off the shelves of some bookstores and sending
its author, Rushdie, into hiding in fear for his life. As a
consequence, many of us got a negative view of Islam not from the
pages of this book but from real-life events.
Ione Washburn
Long Beach, Calif.
Khomeini is not doing anything un-Islamic. Criticism of Islam
has never been tolerated. There is ample precedent for the
Ayatullah to draw on in asking for the blood of Rushdie because of
his allegorical and unflattering references to the founder of
Islam.
Jai Somanath
Los Angeles
As the wife of a former hostage held in Iran from 1979 to 1981,
I feel a certain deja vu in regard to the latest fanatical excesses
of Khomeini triggered by Rushdie's book. Westerners who have
tolerance for other religions and a particular knowledge of Islam
-- and I count myself among them -- can sympathize with the strong
anger and hurt many Muslims may feel about the references in
Rushdie's novel. But they must not acquiesce in the face of
Khomeini's move to unleash his death squads. In the long run, the
real losers will be his followers, who are already politically
isolated from the realities of the modern world.
Penne Laingen
Bethesda, Md.
We live in a society that has dispensed with God to such a
degree that we cannot comprehend what the followers of Islam are
feeling. Freedom of speech carries with it a responsibility. If the
subject matter of this work were blatantly racist or anti-Semitic,
people in the West would be shocked by it.
Peter Doyle
Santa Monica, Calif.
To insult other people's religious beliefs is foolish. To
murder someone who does so is equally unwise. It is better to let
Rushdie live and be cursed by fanatical Muslims than to have him
killed and the Muslim world cursed by all.
Abdolhossein Majid Kafai
Ottawa
Very few took note of this novel. Now, thanks to Khomeini, it
is world famous.
Margareta du Rietz
Hoganas, Sweden