DATE=09/28/98
TYPE=U-S OPINION ROUNDUP
NUMBER=6-10932
TITLE=IRAN ENDS SALMAN RUSHDIE'S DEATH THREAT
BYLINE=ANDREW N. GUTHRIE
TELEPHONE=619-3335
DATELINE=WASHINGTON
EDITOR=ASSIGNMENTS
CONTENT=
INTRO: THERE IS A GOOD DEAL OF EDITORIAL REACTION TO LAST WEEK'S
ANNOUNCEMENT BY IRAN'S FOREIGN MINISTER KAMAL KHARRTAZI THAT HIS
GOVERNMENT IS DISASSOCIATING ITSELF FROM THE "FATWA" -- THE
ISLAMIC DEATH THREAT AGAINST AUTHOR SALMAN RUSHDIE.
THE U-S PRESS IS RESPONDING TO THE APPARENT CHANGE OF POLICY WITH
SEVERAL COMMENTS, AND WE HAVE A SAMPLING NOW FROM ______________
IN TODAY'S U-S OPINION ROUNDUP.
TEXT: WHAT THIS MAY MEAN IS, THAT AFTER NINE-YEARS, THE
INDIAN-BORN AUTHOR WHO'S BOOK "THE SATANIC VERSES" WAS CONSIDERED
BLASPHEMOUS TO SOME MUSLIMS, MAY LIVE AN OPEN AND PUBLIC LIFE
AGAIN. HE HAD BEEN UNDER 24-HOUR GUARD SINCE 1989 WHEN THE LATE
AYATOLLAH RUHOLLAH KHOMEINI CONDEMNED HIM TO DEATH BY ANY
HONORABLE MUSLIM FOR HIS BOOK. MR. RUSHDIE HAS ALWAYS CONTENDED
THE BOOK WAS NOT INTENDED TO INSULT MUSLIMS OR THE FOUNDER OF
THEIR RELIGION, MOHAMMED, AND THAT PASSAGES HAD BEEN
MISINTERPRETED BY SOME ISLAMIC CLERICS.
BUT THERE IS SOME CONFUSION AS TO EXACTLY THAT MR. KHARRTAZI'S
COMMENTS REALLY MEAN. FOR EXAMPLE, HIS COMMENTS STOPPED SHORT OF
LIFTING IRAN'S DEATH SENTENCE ON MR. RUSHDIE, BUT IT WAS SUCH A
CHANCE THAT BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY ROBIN COOK DESCRIBED THE
DEAL AS HISTORIC, AND THE TWO COUNTRIES BEGAN RESUMING FULL
DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS AFTER THE ANNOUNCEMENT.
BUT THE BRITISH DID NOT REMOVE PROTECTION FOR MR. RUSHDIE, AND
THE BOSTON GLOBE REPORTS IT IS UNCLEAR WHETHER THE AUTHOR WOULD
BE EMERGING FROM HIDING. A TWO-AND-ONE HALF MILLION DOLLAR
BOUNTY PLACED ON [MR.] RUSHDIE BY A QUASI-OFFICIAL IRANIAN
FOUNDATION, CONTROLLED BY THE COUNTRY'S MULLAHS, OR ISLAMIC
PRIESTS, REMAINS IN FORCE. AND ONE BRITISH OFFICIAL SAID --
THERE IS STILL THE THREAT THAT SOME RELIGIOUS FANATIC WILL DECIDE
... THE FATWA STILL STANDS.
THE THREAT WAS NEVER TAKEN LIGHTLY AND DURING ITS COURSE, SEVERAL
PEOPLE ASSOCIATED WITH THE BOOK INCLUDING SOME OF ITS
TRANSLATORS, HAVE BEEN KILLED OR INJURED IN DIFFERENT ATTACKS,
ALTHOUGH NONE WERE DIRECTLY LINKED TO THE IRANIAN GOVERNMENT.
WE BEGIN OUR SAMPLING WITH THESE THOUGHTS FROM "THE DALLAS
MORNING NEWS."
VOICE: DEATH ROW FOR WRITER SALMAN RUSHDIE HAS BEEN ANYWHERE HE
WENT. FOR 10-YEARS, THE BRITISH WRITER HAS LIVED WITH A
MILLION-DOLLAR BOUNTY ON HIS HEAD. HIS 1988 NOVEL,
SATANIC VERSES, SO INCENSED IRAN'S AYATOLLAH ...
KHOMEINI THAT THE CLERIC ISSUED AN EDICT EXHORTING
MUSLIMS TO KILL HIM. ... NOW THE BRITISH WRITER MAY BE
ABLE TO LIVE AS A FREE MAN AGAIN. IRANIAN FOREIGN
MINISTER KAMAL KHARRAZI SAID HIS GOVERNMENT NO LONGER
SUPPORTS A BOUNTY ON MR. RUSHDIE'S LIFE. .... THIS
RESOLUTION HAS TWO LESSONS. ONE IS THAT IRAN COULD BE
MODERATING. THE OTHER MESSAGE IS THAT HUMAN RIGHTS
MATTER -- TO EVERYONE, NOT JUST TO POLITICAL PRISONERS
IN FOREIGN JAILS. MR. RUSHDIE BECAME A LIVING PARABLE
ABOUT FREE EXPRESSION -- AND HOW QUICKLY THAT FREEDOM
CAN VANISH.
TEXT: IN THE MIDWEST, "THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE" IS ALSO PLEASED,
NOTING:
VOICE: AFTER 10-YEARS HIDING IN THE SHADOWS AND FACING A DEATH
SENTENCE FOR WRITINGS DEEMED AN INSULT TO ISLAM,
INDIAN-BORN AUTHOR SALMAN RUSHDIE MAY FINALLY BREATHE A
LITTLE EASIER. AMERICANS ALSO SHOULD WELCOME THE
DECLARATION IN NEW YORK LAST WEEK BY IRAN'S MODERATE
PRESIDENT MOHAMMAD KHATAMI THAT THE RUSHDIE MATTER IS
'COMPLETELY FINISHED.' FOR SURE, THE MESSAGE IRAN IS
SENDING IS ANOTHER POSITIVE STEP ON ITS ROAD TO
LIBERALIZATION, SPURNING A MEDIEVAL SENTENCE THAT WAS
ANATHEMA TO WESTERNERS (AND TO MANY MUSLIMS) AND A
SYMBOL OF DEEPLY FUNDAMENTALIST POLICIES THAT HAVE
DOMINATED AND DISCREDITED IRAN FOR ALMOST TWENTY YEARS.
... DESPITE [MR.] KHATAMI'S AND [MR.] KHARRAZI'S
STATEMENTS, THE RUSHDIE DEATH SENTENCE HAS YET TO BE
LIFTED, AND IT REMAINS TO BE SEEN WHETHER IRAN'S CURRENT
SPIRITUAL LEADER ... WILL REPUDIATE IT.
TEXT: IN BALTIMORE, "THE SUN" IS CAUTIOUSLY SKEPTICAL, ALTHOUGH
IT IS PLEASED AT THE CHANCE, AS FAR AS IT GOES.
VOICE: PERHAPS MR. RUSHDIE CAN GO ABOUT NORMALLY AGAIN. BUT
IRAN'S LEADERSHIP IS SPLIT. SPIRITUAL LEADER AYATOLLAH
ALI KHAMENEI, COMMANDER OF THE ARMED FORCES, HAD NOT
RESCINDED THE DECREE. AND A RELIGIOUS FOUNDATION'S
OFFER OF TWO-AND-ONE-HALF-MILLION-DOLLARS TO ANYONE
CRYING IT OUT STILL STANDS. ... THE NEW MODERATION
SHOWING IN TEHRAN SHOULD BE ENCOURAGED. BUT EVEN MR.
KHATAMI IS GRADUALISTIC ABOUT IT ... IRAN'S RULERS,
EXTREMIST AND MODERATE, HAVE AN ULTERIOR MOTIVE FOR
IMPROVING RELATIONS WITH THE WEST, BEYOND SEEKING
CAPITAL FOR OIL DEVELOPMENT. THEY APPEAR TO BE
PREPARING FOR WAR WITH ISLAMIC RIVALS IN NEIGHBORING
AFGHANISTAN. EVEN FANATICS VALUE PRAGMATISM WHEN
DECIDING HOW MANY ENEMIES TO ENGAGE AT ONE TIME.
TEXT: MORE SKEPTICISM COMES FROM KENNETH TIMMERMAN, WHO
PUBLISHES A NEWSLETTER IN THE UNITED STATES CALLED 'IRAN BRIEF.'
IN TALKING WITH V-O-A REPORTER NICK SIMEONE IN WASHINGTON, MR.
TIMMERMAN COMMENTED:
VOICE: IF YOU TALK TO SHIITE ISLAMIC CLERICS WHO ARE
KNOWLEDGEABLE, SUCH AS AYATOLLAH ROUHANI IN PARIS AND
HIS BROTHER IN QOM [THE IRANIAN HOLY ISLAMIC CITY], THEY
WILL TELL YOU THAT THE FATWA DIED WITH THE DEATH OF
AYATOLLAH KHOMEINI AND THEY WILL TELL YOU THAT FATWAS DO
NOT LIVE AFTER THE DEATHS OF [THE] PEOPLE WHO HAVE
ISSUED THEM. BUT IF YOU TALK TO IRANIAN GOVERNMENT
OFFICIALS, THEY WILL TELL YOU THAT THEY CAN NOT RESCIND
THE FATWA BECAUSE OF AYATOLLAH KHOMEINI'S DEATH AND
THEREFORE IT DOES NOT MATTER WHAT THE GOVERNMENT SAYS,
THE FATWA EXISTS.
TEXT: IN CONCLUSION, "THE WASHINGTON POST" QUOTES THE COMMENTS
OF IRAN'S PRESIDENT MOHAMMED KHATEMI, AND THE COUNTRY'S FOREIGN
MINISTER, KAMAL KHARRAZI, WHO MADE WHAT THE PAPER FEELS WAS AN
EVEN STRONGER STATEMENT FOLLOWING THE PRESIDENT'S REMARKS, BEFORE
IT NOTES:
VOICE: SUCH WORDS SEND A WELCOME SIGNAL, AND THE MOVE TO
'DIALOGUE' OUGHT INDEED TO INCLUDE THE ABANDONING OF
INCITEMENT TO MURDER. BOTH THE BRITISH FOREIGN OFFICE
AND MR. RUSHDIE HIMSELF REACTED FAVORABLY TO MR.
KHARRZAI'S COMMENTS. BRITAIN UPGRADED DIPLOMATIC
RELATIONS WITH IRAN, AND MR. RUSHDIE APPEARED ON T-V TO
EXPRESS HIS RELIEF. BUT OF COURSE ONLY MR. RUSHDIE'S
CONTINUED SAFETY CAN SHOW THIS IS MORE THAN A MERE
SIGNAL.
TEXT: ON THAT NOTE, WE CONCLUDE THIS BRIEF SAMPLING OF COMMENTS
ON THE CHANGING IRANIAN POSITION ABOUT THE DEATH THREAT AGAINST
AUTHOR SALMAN RUSHDIE.
NEB/ANG/RAE
28-Sep-98 3:13 PM EDT (1913 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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