Herald and Review from Decatur, Illinois • Page 4

DECATUR HERALD Decatur, Illinois, Saturday, March 17, 1979 Readers Comment EditorialsOpinions Carter did well in Mideast IN THE TELEVISED segments of President Carter's Middle East diplomacy this week, some reporters were referring to an "agreement" as a synonym for "peace." If only things were that simple. The inaccuracy of that journalistic shorthand is surely apparent to the president, who did such a good job in recent days of helping Menachem Begin and Anwar Sadat keep negotiating over their differences. The president put it much precisely when he referred to his hope that a successful settlement between Egypt and Israel on paper might serve as a cornerstone for the difficult work of building peace which remains. That is Jo take nothing away from the achievement of Begin, Sadat and Carter. They somehow have managed to stitch together, however loosely, a patchwork of agreement from the tattered crazyquilt of human emotions which are the basic work materials for those toiling at diplomacy in the Middle East.

Begin and Sadat have put their political careers on the line in even coming this far. Carter risked a failure which, in the context of other criticisms of his foreign and domestic policies, would have left him a president without political-clothes in the 1980 campaign which already is under way. And for all they accomplished, for all their effort over a long period of time, problems still stretch out for them as far as the eye can see. As Henry Kissinger put it in an interview this week, in the Middle East, each solution of a difficult problem only buys policy-makers a ticket to try to cope with the next nearly insurmountable problem. The effort must go on.

The consequences failure are potentially horrible. Another outbreak of war in the Middle East would bring great human suffering to people who already have suffered too much. It would certainly mean oil and economic problems for the West. The bubbling potion of fears, ha treds and other emotions of the Middle East could combine with super power interests in the region to boil into global nuclear war. The region and the world are fortunate that leaders like Begin, Sadat and Carter are currently on the scene.

None of them are what the modern world has come to regard as great men. None of them are possessed of great charisma or extraordinary diplomatic skills. Yet each of them has an ability to understand that more is at stake in their endeavors than only their nation's interests, or simply the satisfaction of their own egos. Each has been patient, persistent and perceptive, willing to move inch by inch on the long road to peace with a mature understanding of how extraordinarily difficult and dangerous that shadowy thoroughfare is. Each has been willing to try to understand the problem from the point of view of others as well as his own.

Each, at times, fairly bursts with pride in self and country, yet each has bad the humility to realize that his task and the consequences of failure to master it is far bigger than himself or his nation. The three 'may yet fail. They are not giants. But standing amid the ashes of war after war, standing at military control panels with a capacity to wreak havoc, they are striving, for all their uncertainty, with a remarkable sense of purpose. Their objective is to snatch more justice and greater tranquility from the jaws of prejudice and violence.

At -the moment, for all their frailties and for all the fragility of their progress, they are a three-subject portrait of peacemakers. Sadly, too few leaders in this violent century have been able or willing to stoop to fit into such a modest, yet humanly ennobling pose. In that sense, Americans should be particularly proud of where Jimmy Carter stands today. Followers of the Islamic Faith sit at the Islamic Mission of America, a mosque in New York City. 4 Not many Moslems in U.S.; only one in 1,000 a believer Digest of our opinions EDITOR'S NOTE: Islam's 400 million to 800 million adherents live in a path that spreads from Africa across Asia to the Pacific and in a few other places, too.

But this most popular of religions has had little appeal in the United States. It's been limited mostly to imi-grants from Moslem countries and to American blacks. This is the last of three articles. By Mike Feinsilber Associated Press Writer Washington In Iowa, where the Sioux and the Algonquin once worshipped, some people kneel on prayer rugs five times a day and face Mecca. They are Moslems.

They also are Americans, members of a small community of followers of Islam who have lived in Cedar Rapids for more than a century. Islam is the world's most popular religion, but Islam in America has been limited mostly to Moslem immigrants and their descendants and to blacks, many of whose ancestors worshipped Allah in Africa before they were converted to Christianity as slaves. Through its history, Islam has appealed chiefly to the enslaved and the downtrodden. To most Americans, Islam is an exotic and mysterious religion. But it is becoming a political force in the world, too, one likely to influence events in America.

The rise of power of Ayatollah Rumol-lah Khomeini in Iran has focused new attention on Islam. Around the world, one person in eight is a Moslem. Only one Moslem in every 2,000 lives in the United States. Roughly only one American in every 1,000 is a Moslem. The Islamic Center of Washington claims Moslem explorers reached both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts before Columbus.

Legislation enacted by the South Carolina House of Representatives in 1790 gave "sundry Moors, subjects of the Emperor of Morocco" the right to be tried in local courts. The minutes of other southern legislatures record debates over granting freedom of religion to "Catholics, Jews and basic tenet of Islam and because the religion offers "certainty and a meaning of life to the individual." Afro-American Moslems and Moslems with old world ties have not always agreed on how the teachings of Mohammed are to be followed, and this led to tensions. Most Moslems abhor the black supremacy doctrine preached by the Black Muslim movement of Elijah Muhammad as a heretical perversion. Abdul-Rauf explains that Elijah proclaimed himself a prophet of God and "promoted hatred of whites. His creed, from our point of view, was false." Not until Elijah died and his son directed the movement toward more traditional views were the Black Muslims welcomed as genuine adherents.

Islam has no structured clergy or single spokesman. To provide this country's Moslem institutions with guidance, the embassies of Moslem countries built the Islamic Center along Washington's embassy row. It opened in 1957, supported with contributions from Moslem governments. In 1977, it became a battlefield in a dispute between two splinter groups of black American Moslems the Black Muslims and the Hanafi Moslems. Twelve Hanafi Moslems seized three Washington buildings the Islamic Center; the headquarters of a Jewish service group, B'nai B'rith; and Washington's city hall and held 149 hostages for 38 hours.

The ambassadors of Egypt, Iran and Pakistan finally persuaded them to end the seige. One person was killed. Today, a visitor to the center finds a quiet place where he can learn something about Islam. The center offers lectures and publications on Islam's literature, philosophy and concepts. At its heart is a mosque with the floor covered by overlapping Persian rugs.

The mosque is oriented so that a Moslem at prayer before the back wall is facing Mecca. Once his eyes adjust to the dim light, the visitor is likely to find a man humped in prayer, his face lowered to the floor. It is a scene one is likely to find only here and there in America. But Islam found few converts among those already settled here. For the most part, American Moslems lived alone and apart.

By one authoritative estimate, Islam has only 250,000 adherents in the United States. The Mormons, whose faith is native to America, are 10 times more numerous. Cedar Rapids became a Moslem center in a typical way. A few Lebanese Christian peddlers, seeking a new life on the frontier, opened shops there not long after the Civil War ended. Islamic Arab immigrants, seeking to live among those who knew their language, followed.

The first North American mosque was built in Cedar Rapids in 1934. It was a white clapboard building which looked like a country church except for a crescent where a cross might have been. Most Moslems settled in larger cities, chiefly Detroit and Dearborn, Toledo, Ohio; Philadelphia; Baltimore; New York; and Los Angeles. Moslem religious, educational and social institutions exist in 42 states and on many college campuses, where they serve students from the Middle East. In the open atmosphere of America, some Moslems became more devout, reacting to the materialism and relaxed standards of sexual conduct, dress, drinking and morality they found.

Others succumbed to the Western lifestyle and forgot their prayers. Some found a middle way. In an interview, Muhammad Abdul-Rauf, director of Washington's Islamic Center, says he finds nothing imcompa-tible between his religion and democracy, technology or modern ways. "I send my children to American schools. I watch television.

I fly in airplanes," he says. "One can go to the movies and be a good Moslem, but one could not go to the movies to watch naked girls and be a good Moslem. The few prohibitions about being a Moslem the prohibition against eating pork, for example are insignificant. One can be a good Moslem and a good American, and not eat pork." Abdul-Rauf says the teachings of Mohammed have had a special appeal to black Americans because equality is a IN OUR EDITORIALS this week we said: SAFETY considerations following the discovering of structural deterioration, and the importance of the Staley Viaduct to the city's transportation network give no choice to finding a permanent answer to the problems the priority raises. Temporary measures are no longer satisfactory.

RECOGNIZING the difficulties in putting planned, coordinated policy changes into effect, Illinois politicians have virtually given up an effort to think problems through carefully. So they end up careening from one crisis to the next, blundering from one phony cure to another. LEGISLATORS would do well to note the difficulties of interpreting the Illinois Open Meetings Act despite some wise rulings by officials such as Macon County State's Attorney Patrick M. Walsh. There is plenty of time for the General Assembly to discuss alterations People say one thing, do another To the Editor: It is sort of bewildering and sometimes amusing to see how we tend to speak and act in opposite ways.

We get all excited about lowering taxes, but continue to expect more services. We say the federal government should tax us less, but when we want to undertake some special project we go to that same government and ask for some "free" money. We say that too much money is spent on defense and that some of the defense installations should be shut down. But when we hear about the possibility" of closing down Chanute, we cry out in dismay, "No, not Chanute, that would be a blow to the economy of the state." We talk about lowering the thermostats in our homes. But for my part, that is one place I want to be warm.

At my age, my internal heating system appreciates some outside help. But I don't heat my whole house. The kitchen and the living room are enough. Also, telling people to set thermostats at a certain level does not make much sense. They are not that exact.

My thermostat and that in another house are set the same, but I am warm here and cold there. We are told to save fuel by driving less. Meanwhile auto racing continues and athletic teams travel across country for their games and many members of student bodies accompany them. We are asked to save fuel by driving slower. But most of us drive over 55.

Now we even want that speed limit raised in spite of the fact that it has saved fuel and seemes to have lessened accidents. We denounce President Carter for failing to control inflation and we rebel against every suggestion he makes for controlling it. As long as we continue to buy everything we want in spite of higher prices, we are encouraging inflation. And most people who have the money go ahead and buy. They may complain, but they buy.

Most of the people living today were not around during the Thirties and don't know what it is to do without. Then we hadn't learned yet that we absolutely could not get along without all those luxuries and conveniences. Alfred Gnien Pana Handgun law won't stop violent crime To' the Editor: In response to your editorial on the tragic murder of those Chicago policemen, I cannot bring myself to understand how an intelligent person such as yourself honestly believes laws prohibiting handguns will stop crimes. First of all, the abolishing of handguns would take a constitutional amendment to repeal or amend the Second Amendment. As we all know in the case of ERA, this can take years, if ever.

All the while the problem still goes on. Secondly, don't you think it's time the American public wake up from political rhetoric of some politicians who are dreaming of solving crimes by outlawing guns, when we can not even stop the inflow of tons of illegal drugs into our country? History has proven when criminals want something bad enough, the "black market" will provide. If this isn't enough, by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms own admission, it would cost $40 million to just confiscate handguns alone. Heaven knows, government spending is big enough without adding this. If the American public wants change, why not change the liberal attitudes of our courts and start thinking of the victims? Let us put a halt to plea bargaining and suspended sentences.

Why not place mandatory sentences for anyone using a gun in a crime? In this way we put the blame and responsibility on the individual who perpetrates these crimes against society and not the innocent law abiding gun owner who uses handguns for personal home protection and competitive shooting. Gregory P. Bennett Windsor Exchange table: Writer sues over 3.2 beer Wall Street Journal We hear that a writer has filed a two million dollar lawsuit against the Coors beer company for pickling his brain. It seems that since May 1978 he had been consuming large quanitites of Coors' 3.2 beer, containing only 3.2 percent alcohol and so supposedly nonintoxicating, at his local tavern. But, the suit contends, the stuff was insidiously marinating his mind; and as a result he has been unable to finish writing his second novel.

The author may have a point. But we have to wonder whether the damage was caused by the beer, or by the current fad of product liability suits. in the act this session. GOV. THOMPSON has vast resources to draw upon to make his case for higher education spending.

If the Board of Higher Education is to counterattack effectively, it will have to enlist reinforcements outside the traditional higher education hierarchy. ABNER Mikva is eminently qualified to the federal bench. Illinois and the national political system's loss will be the gain of the American system of jurisprudence. QUALIFIED minorities deserve their share of the generally well-paying craft union jobs in the Decatur area. A renewed effort must be made by all concerned to see that this comes about.

NOTIFYING the media and admitting reporters to Macon County Board party political caucuses seems to be a more reasonable way to provide the public with what it wants, needs and has a right to know. It is only natural that he should defend his vaccine and be confident over what it can do. However, he cannot expect all of us to share that confidence. Many parents who placed their faith in gamma globulin last summer have been startled to hear that the serum showed "no beneficial effects." Before the mass gamma globulin tests there was widespread suspicion and questioning about the possible unknown effects of the serum, just as there is now about Dr. Salk's vaccine.

Most parents now would like to feel that Dr. Salk has the vaccine that can provide protection from polio for life. All they want is more proof that the vaccine actually can work without any harmful effects. Dr. Salk can't blame any parent for making such a demand.

25 Years Ago Printing article about bomb was an irresponsible move James 1 jL4 Kilpatrick 25 Years Ago-1954 Net revenue from the city's new parking lot will be set aside for more off-street parking, and planning for additional parking lots will be started immediately. The five railroads operating in Macon County will get tax bills totaling $303,500 this year, an increase of $37,250 over their 1953 taxes. Food is cheaper now in relation to wages than ever in history, according to Dr. Karl E. Gardner of the University of Illinois Dairy Science department.

IN AN EDITORIAL we said: Dr. Jonas E. Salk, the developer of a polio vaccine, should not be too hard on those who are skeptical about the safety and effects of his vaccine. tj 1979 NEA. Inc Court decision that will place judges in our press rooms in new and disturbing ways.

As a matter of law, the key case is the Pentagon Papers case of 1971 (TIMES v. U.S., 403 U.S. 713). There the Court refused to prohibit the New York Times from publishing purloined documents having to do with the war in Vietnam. But under a different set of facts and a different piece of statutory law as well there is no reason to believe would dissolve the temporary injunction just granted in Milwaukee.

On the contrary, there is every reason to believe that all of the justices, save possibly Brennan, would side with the government in favor of suppression. In the Pentagon Papers case, Justices White, Stewart and Marshall indicated that if a statute provided for prior restraint injunctions in matters involving the national security, it would make a big difference to them. In the Progressive case, they have precisely such a statute in the Atomic Energy Act. Recent months have seen some dismaying decisions in this whole area of the courts and the press. Judges are imposing gag orders in criminal trials.

The Supreme Court, while generally protecting our rights to publish information, increasingly inhibits our power to gather information. From our point of view in the press, it is a most unhappy situation. The Progressive is making it worse. Washington Star Syndicate Washington Let me sort out, if I may, some of the issues that have become entangled in the matter of the Progressive magazine and its temporarily suppressed article on "How a Hydrogen Bomb Works." The case provides a melancholy example of a thoroughly irresponsible press and a remarkably witless bureaucracy. The case hit the front pages a week ago when the Justice Department, in a panicky misjudgment of cause and effect, rushed into a federal court in Milwaukee to obtain an injunction against the magazine.

The object was to prevent publication of an article worked up by freelance writer Howard Morland. From what we know of the article, Morland had worked from unclassified material in the public domain, from his own research at atomic installations and from other sources. It is not contended that he stole any government material. For reasons that baffle understanding, the Progressive's own editors sought governmental review of the article in advance of publication. The cynical thought cannot be dispelled that the editors hoped to provoke precisely the magnificent bonanza of publicity the Justice Department has now given them.

In any event, that is the only benefit to any party that can now be perceived. Let us assume for the sake of discussion that Morland, by some stroke of intuition and deduction, had come up with designs and drawings that no other outsider had divined. He had in fact fig- ured out how an H-bomb is triggered. He and his editors, by sme bizarre process of rationalization, supposed that publication of these drawings, which would teach scientists in various nations how to manufacture atomic weapons, would promote their own pacifist desire to halt the proliferation of atomic weapons. This is a screwy line of reasoning, but we are asked to accept it.

Very well. So perceived, the editors' insistence on publishing the piece, over the objections of government scientists, has to be seen as a staggering exercise in irresponsibility. We may all gravely doubt that a spy from, say, Israel or India or South Africa would have been much impressed by a freelance piece in the Progressive if the government had not gone to court. Now the article takes on an importance it never should have acquired. But the editors' irresponsibility goes beyond the damage they might do to national security.

They have performed an act of consummate disservice to their brothers of the press who are fighting a battle against prior restraint censorship. Because of this H-bomb affair, we may wind up with a Supreme 1 1 couldJ'ust take off and go to the Middle East for some peace talks..