KILLING ‘KILLING’

The Washington-based American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) has pressured Elektra Records to delete the lead song--”Killing an Arab”--from future editions of “Standing on a Beach,” a retrospective collection by the British band the Cure. Elektra also will stop promoting the single, which has been popular on college radio stations.

Inspired by a scene in Albert Camus’ existentialist novel “The Stranger,” the song was first recorded in 1979 and remained relatively obscure until last May, when Elektra released “Standing on a Beach,” which has sold about 400,000 LPs and cassettes.

“The title opens the door for Arab-bashing by disc jockeys,” said ADC spokesman Faris Bouhafa. “Unfortunately, Arab-bashing has become a popular sport in this country. When you put out a song like this you invite disc jockeys to go on the air and say, ‘Here’s a song about killing A -rabs.’ ”

Elektra and its parent, Warner Communications, initially defended the song in a letter to the ADC: “The song, far from encouraging the killing of Arabs or any other people, expresses the view that killing is insane and useless.”

But Bouhafa insisted most listeners would only remember the title and chorus--”I’m alive/I guess/I’m the stranger/killing an Arab.”

“It’s a very old song,” said Warner V.P. Geoff Holmes, explaining Elektra’s change of heart. “It was recorded six years ago. It makes sense (now) to pull the song.”

Added an Elektra spokesman: “They had a legitimate grievance.”