美国国家公共电台 NPR In Fight Against Islamophobia, Muslim Americans Focus On The Ballot Box

In Fight Against Islamophobia, Muslim Americans Focus On The Ballot¹ Box 

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There was a spike³ in hate crimes against Muslim-Americans after September 11, 2001. Now on the 15th anniversary of those terror attacks, Muslim leaders say that Islamophobia is rising again. In New York, a string of recent murders has left the city's Muslim residents on edge, as NPR's Joel Rose reports.

JOEL ROSE, BYLINE⁴: In the last month, three Bangladeshi immigrants wearing traditional Muslim dress were killed on the streets of Queens. One of them was the imam of a modest storefront mosque⁵ in a working-class neighborhood called Ozone⁶ Park.

BAZLUR RAHMAN: This neighborhood is still scared, you know, everybody's scared.

SIMON: Bazlur Rahman and a few dozen other men gathered for afternoon prayers at the mosque this week.

RAHMAN: A lot of Muslim people don't come to the Masjid because they are scared, you know?

ROSE: Imam Maulama Akonjee and an associate were walking home from this mosque on a Saturday afternoon when they were both shot from behind, execution-style, on a busy street. The suspect is facing murder charges though prosecutors⁷ declined to charge him with a hate crime, which can be difficult to prove. But to Bazlur Rahman, it's hard to see this any other way. The imam had an iPhone and a significant amount of cash in his pockets when he was killed. The alleged⁸ killer⁹ didn't take either.

RAHMAN: He have, like, $1,000 in his pocket. If you say it's mugging, you know, money is there, phone is there and somebody come behind just shoot, you know, two people in Muslim dress. And it - so I will say absolutely hate crimes.

ROSE: Last week, in another Queens neighborhood, a Bangladeshi woman in traditional Muslim dress was stabbed to death on her way home from work. Prosecutors say the suspect confessed to committing the crime, quote, "in the course of an attempted robbery," unquote. But, again, community leaders are skeptical¹⁰ because none of her possessions were taken. Ali Najmi is a lawyer in Queens.

ALI NAJMI: In the last month there have been three murders of people who were visibly Muslim and we don't know why. Whether we can prove it in court or not, we think that there is a causation. That's what a lot of people on the ground are feeling - that it's related.

ROSE: Related, Najmi says, to the heated rhetoric¹¹ of the presidential race. Republican nominee¹² Donald Trump¹³ says he saw, quote, "thousands of Muslims celebrating in New Jersey¹⁴ on September 11, 2001." There's no evidence that Trump's claim is true, but Najmi says those words can still have real effects.

NAJMI: He's the one beating the drum. He's one riling people up. He's the one that's saying he's going to ban Muslims. He's the one that's saying we can't trust these people.

ROSE: But some Muslim leaders say there may be another consequence of Trump's rhetoric, one the candidate himself probably did not intend.

AZRA BAIG: Assalamu alaikum, are you registered to vote?

ROSE: Azra Baig hands out voter registration¹⁵ forms after Friday prayers at Masjid Al-Wali, a large mosque in central New Jersey. Politics hasn't always been a priority for Muslims here. Many are first- or second-generation Americans whose families came from countries where voting may be just a token exercise. Mahmood Alam is a board member at the mosque.

MAHMOOD ALAM: They are going through their own struggles, getting acquainted in this country and working hard for their children who are born here. So getting into the politics is the last thing in their mind.

ROSE: But Muslim leaders hope this year will be different. In New Jersey, they're making a push to register voters ahead of the November election. And they're using Donald Trump's words as motivation.

SHARIQ AHMAD: He's having the opposite effect of, I guess, what was intended by using all this hateful rhetoric.

ROSE: Shariq Ahmad is one of the organizers of the New Jersey Muslim Voters Project.

AHMAD: I think what you're going to see this time around is a political awakening¹⁶ for the Muslim-American community.

ROSE: But that awakening can only happen one new voter at a time. At Friday prayers in Edison, Azra Baig was busy.

BAIG: And as you see, I gave out dozens of voter registration forms. So I think we still have a lot of work to do.

ROSE: Baig and others are planning a registration push across New Jersey on Monday during the Eid al-Adha. Joel Rose, NPR News, New York.

1 ballot   

n.（不记名）投票，投票总数，投票权；vi.投票

参考例句：

• The members have demanded a ballot.会员们要求投票表决。
• The union said they will ballot members on whether to strike.工会称他们将要求会员投票表决是否罢工。

2 browser   

n.浏览者

参考例句：

• View edits in a web browser.在浏览器中看编辑的效果。
• I think my browser has a list of shareware links.我想在浏览器中会有一系列的共享软件链接。

3 spike   

n.长钉，钉鞋；v.以大钉钉牢，使...失效

参考例句：

• The spike pierced the receipts and held them in order.那个钉子穿过那些收据并使之按顺序排列。
• They'll do anything to spike the guns of the opposition.他们会使出各种手段来挫败对手。

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 mosque   

n.清真寺

参考例句：

• The mosque is a activity site and culture center of Muslim religion.清真寺为穆斯林宗教活动场所和文化中心。
• Some years ago the clock in the tower of the mosque got out of order.几年前，清真寺钟楼里的大钟失灵了。

6 ozone   

n.臭氧，新鲜空气

参考例句：

• The ozone layer is a protective layer around the planet Earth.臭氧层是地球的保护层。
• The capacity of ozone can adjust according of requirement.臭氧的产量可根据需要或调节。

7 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

8 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

9 killer   

n.杀人者，杀人犯，杀手，屠杀者

参考例句：

• Heart attacks have become Britain's No.1 killer disease.心脏病已成为英国的头号致命疾病。
• The bulk of the evidence points to him as her killer.大量证据证明是他杀死她的。

10 skeptical   

adj.怀疑的，多疑的

参考例句：

• Others here are more skeptical about the chances for justice being done.这里的其他人更为怀疑正义能否得到伸张。
• Her look was skeptical and resigned.她的表情是将信将疑而又无可奈何。

11 rhetoric   

n.修辞学，浮夸之言语

参考例句：

• Do you know something about rhetoric?你懂点修辞学吗？
• Behind all the rhetoric,his relations with the army are dangerously poised.在冠冕堂皇的言辞背后，他和军队的关系岌岌可危。

12 nominee   

n.被提名者；被任命者；被推荐者

参考例句：

• His nominee for vice president was elected only after a second ballot.他提名的副总统在两轮投票后才当选。
• Mr.Francisco is standing as the official nominee for the post of District Secretary.弗朗西斯科先生是行政书记职位的正式提名人。

13 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

14 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

15 registration   

n.登记，注册，挂号

参考例句：

• Marriage without registration is not recognized by law.法律不承认未登记的婚姻。
• What's your registration number?你挂的是几号？

16 awakening   

n.觉醒，醒悟 adj.觉醒中的；唤醒的

参考例句：

• the awakening of interest in the environment 对环境产生的兴趣
• People are gradually awakening to their rights. 人们正逐渐意识到自己的权利。