美国国家公共电台 NPR In Lebanon, Syrian Refugees Met With Harassment And Hostility

 

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

We're heading overseas now to Lebanon. It is home to more refugees per capita than any other country in the world. Most of them are Syrians. NPR's Ruth Sherlock reports on how public opinion in Lebanon is now turning against those refugees.

RUTH SHERLOCK, BYLINE¹: Doha Jassem and her family fled Syria five years ago for a patch of ground in the rural Bekaa Valley of Lebanon. They live in a plastic tent. She's adorned² it with a golden cloth, and tassels³ dangled⁴ from the ceiling. She grows flowers by the entrance, but she's afraid. She takes her phone and plays me a sound file that has caused panic among refugees. It's of a man who called for attacks against them.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING0

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: (Through interpreter) In every area, in the street you're on, in your building, gather, gather amongst yourselves. Anyone who sees a Syrian, hit him. Hit him. Break him.

SHERLOCK: Jassem's young daughters eyes well with tears. The recording⁵ called for violence against Syrians on specific dates last month. And even though Jassem didn't know who was behind it, she believed the threats.

DOHA JASSEM: (Through interpreter) Syrians started sending this to each other to make sure no Syrian went out that day. None of us even tried to step outside.

SHERLOCK: Part of what fuels this is that Lebanon has so many refugees. The United Nations has registered over a million Syrians, but the actual numbers are higher. In some towns, there are now more Syrians than Lebanese. The country's already feeble infrastructure⁶ is overburdened.

MARIA ASSI: Even the places in the health clinics or in the schools, now it's more difficult.

SHERLOCK: Maria Assi is the CEO of Beyond Association. That's an NGO that helps Syrians and Lebanese. She says Lebanese at first welcomed refugees, and many hosted them in their homes, but they just can't cope in the long term.

ASSI: It's not easy for Lebanese community to think that they will stay. No country accept. No people around the world can accept.

SHERLOCK: So the resentment⁷ against Syrians has grown. Politicians with an election coming up next year are even calling for refugees to go back to a war zone.

(SOUNDBITE OF PRESS CONFERENCE)

SAMIR GEAGEA: (Foreign language spoken).

SHERLOCK: In this press conference, Samir Geagea, the leader of the Lebanese Forces, a Christian⁸ political party, says Lebanon must get rid - to use his words - of many refugees. The hostility⁹ is now so intense that hundreds of Lebanese poets, writers and scholars have signed a letter of protest. They say this country has a moral obligation to look after its refugees. Back in Jassem's shelter, she says life here has never been easy. And now, they just don't feel safe anywhere. One recent day, she went with her husband and son to buy vegetables, when she says a man attacked them.

JASSEM: (Through interpreter) We were riding my husband's motorcycle, and we had my son, the one who's crying right now with us. This man launched himself at the front of the motorcycle with a sickle¹⁰.

SHERLOCK: It's not just vigilantes they're afraid of. One day, soldiers raided their tent. They'd come to check permits, and only the women were home. She said they made them and their children wait for hours in the hot sun. Jassem believes this was intended as a reminder¹¹ - we'll host you whilst your country is at war, but don't think for a second that you're welcome to stay. Ruth Sherlock, NPR News, Beirut.

(SOUNDBITE OF TYCHO'S "SOURCE")

1 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。

2 adorned   

[计]被修饰的

参考例句：

• The walls were adorned with paintings. 墙上装饰了绘画。
• And his coat was adorned with a flamboyant bunch of flowers. 他的外套上面装饰着一束艳丽刺目的鲜花。

3 tassels   

n.穗( tassel的名词复数 )；流苏状物；（植物的）穗；玉蜀黍的穗状雄花v.抽穗， （玉米）长穗须( tassel的第三人称单数 )；使抽穗， （为了使作物茁壮生长）摘去穗状雄花；用流苏装饰

参考例句：

• Tassels and Trimmings, Pillows, Wall Hangings, Table Runners, Bell. 采购产品垂饰，枕头，壁挂，表亚军，钟。 来自互联网
• Cotton Fabrics, Embroidery and Embroiders, Silk, Silk Fabric, Pillows, Tassels and Trimmings. 采购产品棉花织物，刺绣品而且刺绣，丝，丝织物，枕头，流行和装饰品。 来自互联网

4 dangled   

悬吊着( dangle的过去式和过去分词 )； 摆动不定； 用某事物诱惑…； 吊胃口

参考例句：

• Gold charms dangled from her bracelet. 她的手镯上挂着许多金饰物。
• It's the biggest financial incentive ever dangled before British footballers. 这是历来对英国足球运动员的最大经济诱惑。

5 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

6 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

7 resentment   

n.怨愤，忿恨

参考例句：

• All her feelings of resentment just came pouring out.她一股脑儿倾吐出所有的怨恨。
• She cherished a deep resentment under the rose towards her employer.她暗中对她的雇主怀恨在心。

8 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

9 hostility   

n.敌对，敌意；抵制［pl.］交战，战争

参考例句：

• There is open hostility between the two leaders.两位领导人表现出公开的敌意。
• His hostility to your plan is well known.他对你的计划所持的敌意是众所周知的。

10 sickle   

n.镰刀

参考例句：

• The gardener was swishing off the tops of weeds with a sickle.园丁正在用镰刀嗖嗖地割掉杂草的顶端。
• There is a picture of the sickle on the flag. 旗帜上有镰刀的图案。

11 reminder   

n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示

参考例句：

• I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
• It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。