美国国家公共电台 NPR Christian Leaders Say Turkish Invasion Of Syria Raises Risk Of 'Genocide'

Christian¹ Leaders Say Turkish Invasion Of Syria Raises Risk Of 'Genocide'

MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:

Today, Turkey launched its long-expected offensive on Kurdish-controlled areas in northern Syria. The attack comes just three days after President Trump² ordered U.S. troops out of the border region. The Kurds are U.S. allies. They have been protecting religious minorities in Syria. NPR's Tom Gjelten says the president's order has angered U.S. Christian leaders.

TOM GJELTEN, BYLINE³: Organizations following the fighting in Syria over the past eight years have been especially concerned about attacks on Christians⁴, Yazidis and other religious minorities, largely carried out by ISIS. Those minorities have found refuge in areas of Syria controlled by Kurdish forces, but that's precisely⁵ the part of Syria now targeted by Turkey.

TONY PERKINS: We're getting reports that some of these villages are being shelled; they're being bombed. And there's a lot of concern among these Christians in particular that we're hearing from.

GJELTEN: Tony Perkins is an evangelical Christian leader now chairing the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. He was appointed by President Trump, but Perkins is among those U.S. Christians worried about the effect in Syria of Trump's pullback of U.S. troops.

PERKINS: We could see another move of genocide in that region.

GJELTEN: The concern is that the Kurdish forces who've been protecting Christians and other minorities may now be pushed aside. Thousands of ISIS prisoners now under Kurdish control could be left unguarded. President Trump has enjoyed almost unlimited⁶ support from evangelical Christian leaders, in part because his administration has highlighted the persecution⁷ of Christians around the world. But by giving an apparent green light to this Turkish invasion, Trump's reputation has been tainted⁸.

Here's evangelical Pat Robertson speaking Monday on his Christian Broadcasting Network.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

PAT ROBERTSON: I want to say this with great solemnity. The president of the United States is in danger of losing the mandate⁹ of heaven if he permits this to happen.

GJELTEN: That criticism is echoing across the U.S. Christian world. Russell Moore, who heads the policy arm of the Southern Baptist Convention, said today the U.S. failure to push back against the Turkish attacks is a disgrace. Our brothers and sisters in Christ, Moore tweeted, are among those targeted for slaughter¹⁰. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham today called for a day of prayer for the Kurds now up against Turkish forces. In his broadcast today, Pat Robertson seconded Graham's call to stand with the Kurds.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

ROBERTSON: They are our allies and our friends, and we absolutely cannot abandon them.

GJELTEN: Still more criticism today from Franklin Graham, until now one of President Trump's most loyal supporters in evangelical circles. In a tweet, Graham said, would you pray with me that President Trump will reconsider? Thousands of lives hang in the balance.

Faced with such criticism, President Trump today defended his move. In a statement, he said, the United States has made it clear to Turkey that this operation is a bad idea. Turkey, he said, has committed to protecting civilians¹¹, protecting religious minorities, including Christians. And we will hold them to this commitment, he said.

But at the U.S. Commission on Religious Freedom, Tony Perkins, long a Trump ally, isn't all that hopeful that Turkey will heed¹² the president's word.

PERKINS: I do not have a high level of confidence - in fact, I have no confidence that Turkey will preserve true religious freedom or protect those religious minorities.

GJELTEN: All this pushback from evangelical leaders over Trump's Syria move doesn't necessarily mean he will lose evangelical support come election time. Ralph Reed, founder¹³ of the Faith and Freedom Coalition¹⁴, is quoted in a new book today saying that American evangelicals have a moral obligation to back President Trump enthusiastically.

Tom Gjelten, NPR News, Washington.

1 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。

2 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。

3 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。

4 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

5 precisely   

adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地

参考例句：

• It's precisely that sort of slick sales-talk that I mistrust.我不相信的正是那种油腔滑调的推销宣传。
• The man adjusted very precisely.那个人调得很准。

6 unlimited   

adj.无限的，不受控制的，无条件的

参考例句：

• They flew over the unlimited reaches of the Arctic.他们飞过了茫茫无边的北极上空。
• There is no safety in unlimited technological hubris.在技术方面自以为是会很危险。

7 persecution   

n. 迫害,烦扰

参考例句：

• He had fled from France at the time of the persecution. 他在大迫害时期逃离了法国。
• Their persecution only serves to arouse the opposition of the people. 他们的迫害只激起人民对他们的反抗。

8 tainted   

adj.腐坏的；污染的；沾污的；感染的v.使变质( taint的过去式和过去分词 )；使污染；败坏；被污染，腐坏，败坏

参考例句：

• The administration was tainted with scandal. 丑闻使得政府声名狼藉。
• He was considered tainted by association with the corrupt regime. 他因与腐败政府有牵连而名誉受损。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 mandate   

n.托管地；命令，指示

参考例句：

• The President had a clear mandate to end the war.总统得到明确的授权结束那场战争。
• The General Election gave him no such mandate.大选并未授予他这种权力。

10 slaughter   

n.屠杀，屠宰；vt.屠杀，宰杀

参考例句：

• I couldn't stand to watch them slaughter the cattle.我不忍看他们宰牛。
• Wholesale slaughter was carried out in the name of progress.大规模的屠杀在维护进步的名义下进行。

11 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

12 heed   

v.注意，留意；n.注意，留心

参考例句：

• You must take heed of what he has told.你要注意他所告诉的事。
• For the first time he had to pay heed to his appearance.这是他第一次非得注意自己的外表不可了。

13 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

14 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。