美国国家公共电台 NPR Egyptian Singers Jailed For 'Inciting Debauchery'

 

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

These days, you can add to the list of unexpectedly risky¹ professions being a popular singer in Egypt.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "HAVE YOU DRUNK FROM THE NILE")

SHERINE ABDEL WAHAB: (Singing in foreign language).

SIMON: Sherine Abdel Wahab, known as Sherine, has been sentenced to six months in prison for spreading false news in a concert. She took a fan's request to sing her hit song "Have You Drunk From The Nile."

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "HAVE YOU DRUNK FROM THE NILE")

SHERINE: (Singing in foreign language).

SIMON: There's an old belief in Egypt that someone who drinks from the Nile will always return home. But Sherine joked that if you drink from the Nile, you might get parasites² - told her audience, drink Evian instead.

The generals who run Egypt are not known for a sparkling sense of humor. Sherine is appealing her sentence and told her 14 million Facebook followers³, (reading) my beloved Egypt and its children, I apologize from all my heart for any pain I have caused you.

Then there's a singer known as Shyma.

(SOUNDBITE OF UNIDENTIFIED SHYMA SONG)

SHYMA: (Singing in foreign language).

SIMON: She was arrested for her video of this song, in which she's shown undoing⁴ a strap⁵ on her dress and eating fruit evocatively. Shyma was quickly convicted of corrupting⁶ public morals and inciting⁷ debauchery. She faces a year in prison for a video that looks only a little more provocative⁸ than what Americans might see in a lip balm commercial.

Then there's Laila Amer. She's been sentenced to two years for this song, which is titled in English, "Look At Your Mother."

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "LOOK AT YOUR MOTHER")

LAILA AMER: (Singing in Arabic).

SIMON: That line in Arabic is apparently⁹ a profane¹⁰ pun. Laila Amer has been found guilty of inciting debauchery and immorality¹¹.

Human rights groups say Egyptian authorities have arrested, detained and jailed as many as 60,000 people to stifle¹² dissent¹³ and free speech. All it takes is a joke, a prank¹⁴, a pun or a song.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "LOOK AT YOUR MOTHER")

AMER: (Singing in Arabic).

1 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。

2 parasites   

寄生物( parasite的名词复数 )； 靠他人为生的人； 诸虫

参考例句：

• These symptoms may be referable to virus infection rather than parasites. 这些症状也许是由病毒感染引起的，而与寄生虫无关。
• Kangaroos harbor a vast range of parasites. 袋鼠身上有各种各样的寄生虫。

3 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

4 undoing   

n.毁灭的原因，祸根；破坏，毁灭

参考例句：

• That one mistake was his undoing. 他一失足即成千古恨。
• This hard attitude may have led to his undoing. 可能就是这种强硬的态度导致了他的垮台。

5 strap   

n.皮带，带子；v.用带扣住，束牢；用绷带包扎

参考例句：

• She held onto a strap to steady herself.她抓住拉手吊带以便站稳。
• The nurse will strap up your wound.护士会绑扎你的伤口。

6 corrupting   

（使）败坏( corrupt的现在分词 )； （使）腐化； 引起（计算机文件等的）错误； 破坏

参考例句：

• It would be corrupting discipline to leave him unpunished. 不惩治他会败坏风纪。
• It would be corrupting military discipline to leave him unpunished. 不惩治他会败坏军纪。

7 inciting   

刺激的，煽动的

参考例句：

• What are you up to inciting mutiny and insubordination? 你们干吗在这里煽动骚动的叛乱呀。
• He was charged with inciting people to rebel. 他被控煽动民众起来叛乱。

8 provocative   

adj.挑衅的，煽动的，刺激的，挑逗的

参考例句：

• She wore a very provocative dress.她穿了一件非常性感的裙子。
• His provocative words only fueled the argument further.他的挑衅性讲话只能使争论进一步激化。

9 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

10 profane   

adj.亵神的，亵渎的；vt.亵渎，玷污

参考例句：

• He doesn't dare to profane the name of God.他不敢亵渎上帝之名。
• His profane language annoyed us.他亵渎的言语激怒了我们。

11 immorality   

n. 不道德, 无道义

参考例句：

• All the churchmen have preached against immorality. 所有牧师都讲道反对不道德的行为。
• Where the European sees immorality and lawlessness, strict law rules in reality. 在欧洲人视为不道德和无规则的地方，事实上都盛行着一种严格的规则。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源

12 stifle   

vt.使窒息；闷死；扼杀；抑止，阻止

参考例句：

• She tried hard to stifle her laughter.她强忍住笑。
• It was an uninteresting conversation and I had to stifle a yawn.那是一次枯燥无味的交谈，我不得不强忍住自己的呵欠。

13 dissent   

n./v.不同意，持异议

参考例句：

• It is too late now to make any dissent.现在提出异议太晚了。
• He felt her shoulders gave a wriggle of dissent.他感到她的肩膀因为不同意而动了一下。

14 prank   

n.开玩笑，恶作剧；v.装饰；打扮；炫耀自己

参考例句：

• It was thought that the fire alarm had been set off as a prank.人们认为火警报警器响是个恶作剧。
• The dean was ranking the boys for pulling the prank.系主任正在惩罚那些恶作剧的男学生。