PBS高端访谈:关于开普敦的同性恋友好清真寺

 　　MARTIN SEEMUNGAL: The call to prayer at Cape¹ Towns newest mosque², which advertises itself as one of a kind in South Africa.

　　TAJ HARGEY: We are the only mosque by the way in the whole country that has the words all welcome. We chose the name open mosque to really identify what the mosque was about—it was open to all.

　　MARTIN SEEMUNGAL: Sixty-year-old Taj Hargey is the man behind this new mosque– a mosque he sees worthy³ of being replicated⁴ in other parts of the world.

　　Hargey says his mosque is open to non-muslims, homosexuals—women are allowed to preach from the pulpit—they pray side by side with the men.

　　Tanweer is one of the few who prays here regularly ever since the Mosque opened last September.

　　TANWEER: I come to this mosque every week because this is the only mosque that I know of where there's equality in the genders⁶, where females sit and can actually view the sermon from the front and we're considered equals to men.

　　MARTIN SEEMUNGAL: A counter, he says, to the daily stream of news and images that portray⁷ Islam as extremist and violent.

　　In fact, Hargey has been challenging Muslim orthodoxy for years..

　　Born and raised in Cape Town Hargey went abroad and studied at Oxford-he has a Phd in Religious studies.

　　He made headlines in Britain last year because of his ‘ban the burqa' campaign.

　　TAJ HARGEY: This idea of face masking, if its an islamic practice. Why is it banned in mecca? No woman which goes to mecca the holiest mosque in islam is allowed to cover her face—so this notion that is an islamic practice with due respect is nonsense..it may be a cultural expression..fine..it may be a personal wish..fine—If I want to put a bone through my nose—I have a right..but then do I have a right to say a bone through my nose is an islamic thing?

　　SHAFIQ MORTON: It think the first reaction from the muslim community was one of surprise, of astonishment⁸ and then i think a certain amount of anger.

　　MARTIN SEEMUNGAL: Shafiq Morton is a journalist and a convert to Islam.

　　SHAFIQ MORTON: There was a feeling of insult and hurt as well that somebody could come in and make these assumptions about the state of the community and make these claims that the community wasn't open, that it wasn't welcoming and that it was a closed community that it was ultra-conservative in the negative sense.

　　MARTIN SEEMUNGAL: But it's not just Hargey seeking an alternative to conservative Islam. The idea has caught on in small numbers in places like Canada to Paris to Los Angeles where mosques⁹ have opened up seeking to cater¹⁰ to women or gay people.

　　HUSSEIN RASHID: I think what we're seeing is an attempt to really go back to debates that have existed in early muslim traditions and try to bring those traditions back to the front.

　　MARTIN SEEMUNGAL: Hussein Rashid is a professor of religious studies at Hofstra University on Long Island.

　　HUSSEIN RASHID: When we look at these new centers coming up, I think we have to see it– not as a trend towards we're gonna have gay mosques or a trend towards having women's mosques. But really it's a pattern of muslims are now reimagining what these spaces could be like more largely. And so it's important because it's not the transformation¹¹ of the tradition but it is the adaptation of the tradition.

　　MARTIN SEEMUNGAL:Even so Hargey's interpretation¹² of Islam has put him at odds¹³ with the mainstream¹⁴ Muslim community here-established nearly 400 years ago by slaves from the Dutch East Indies–present day Indonesia.

　　Muslims now account for 1.5 percent of South Africa's population. Hargey's call for a revolution on how Islam is practiced has made him a target–last year there were 3 arson¹⁵ attacks against the mosque.

　　His theology is a sharp departure from mainstream, Islam—a few miles away at the large Gatesville mosque women pray from the balcony at the back of the mosque and are separated by a barrier.

　　Mainstream muslims say it has been this way for centuries and they are against what Hargey is doing..

　　AMIEN GAMZA: He doesn't represent Islam what his teaching and his philosophy is totally at variance¹⁶ with islamic philosophy. Completely at variance.

　　YOUSEF GAMZA: I would say he's a heretic and we will leave him to his own devices, ya he's an imposter.

　　MARTIN SEEMUNGAL: Some people are calling you an imposter..even a heretic?

　　TAJ HARGEY:I am not a heretic—they have very little grounds theologically and otherwise to condemn¹⁷ this mosque—what they are doing is scraping the bottom of the barrel. They are issuing tendentious leaflets anonymous¹⁸ and so forth¹⁹ saying i am gay because har gay—means the gay part of my name..i'm gay—nonsense like that.

　　MARTIN SEEMUNGAL: Although Hargay's position on homosexuality has been questioned—so we asked him for a clarification..

　　TAJ HARGEY: Well—I don't endorse²⁰ homosexual living. I think this is not what the koran teaches, but like I've said earlier, I do not have the right to condemn people. It is not our business to decide who enters this mosque or not and the Koran is very specific that judgement belongs to god alone, so if the homosexual or the lesbian comes in known to me or unknown to me we don't have the right to exclude them from this gathering²¹.

　　MARTIN SEEMUNGAL: For all their differences, Hargey and the long established Gatesville mosque are actually not that far apart

　　The imam of that mosque, Sheik Alexander says nobody is asked about their sexual orientation²² when they come to pray..

　　ABDURAHMAN ALEXANDER: Even though homosexuality is condemned²³ in islam my heart and my arms are opened to those people who have a different sexual orientation always encouraging them to come back to god almighty²⁴ but the mosque is still open for them because they are still human beings.

　　MARTIN SEEMUNGAL: And Hargey's critics say it is implied that all mosques are ‘open' in one fashion or another.

　　For example this mosque in the Cape Town suburb of Claremont has operated with ‘open' practices for years..

　　SA'DIYYA SHAIKH: The space is effectively, if you walk into the room, there are women on the right side and men on the left side. And there's a narrow rope. So, for example when my husband and I go there my husband sits there, we sit next to each other effectively. And when I say rope it's a thin rope and our kids can play in between.

　　MARTIN SEEMUNGAL: Rashid says in the South Africa mosque and others like it people are reacting to what he calls a ‘culture of exclusion²⁵' in the centers they belong to.

　　HUSSEIN RASHID: So it's one thing to say, “of course, we're open. we don't do a check if you're gay.” but at the same time, there's a culture of where are women located in a mosque– how do your sermons talk about different people who are gay or people of a different ethnicity?

　　MARTIN SEEMUNGAL: Conservative Muslims in Cape Town don't think Hargay is going to get many followers²⁶ at his mosque.

　　The turnouts at Hargay's mosque have been small.

　　TAJ HARGEY: Because they have been intimidated²⁷ and frightened into not coming. People are afraid for their lives.

　　MARTIN SEEMUNGAL: The arson attacks late last year are still under investigation²⁸ Cape Towns Muslim Judicial²⁹ Council declined to comment on Hargay's mosque— however, its leaders have urged tolerance³⁰ and condemned the acts of violence.

　　Taj Hargey's claims and approach have stirred up controversy—but they have also struck a nerve in the Islamic community especially on the issue of gender⁵ equality..

　　SA'DIYYA SHAIKH: I like the fact that we've started conversations about this..I like the fact that people are falling over themselves to claim openness when in reality there are a number of mosques that simply don't have spaces for women.

　　MARTIN SEEMUNGAL:And Hargey—he says he's not afraid of all those critics.

　　TAJ HARGEY: If they thought that somehow we would shut up shop and somehow we'll disappear they have another thing coming. Even if we just have two or three people here this mosque will not close.

1 cape   

n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风

参考例句：

• I long for a trip to the Cape of Good Hope.我渴望到好望角去旅行。
• She was wearing a cape over her dress.她在外套上披着一件披肩。

2 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。

3 worthy   

adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的

参考例句：

• I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust.我认为他不值得信赖。
• There occurred nothing that was worthy to be mentioned.没有值得一提的事发生。

4 replicated   

复制( replicate的过去式和过去分词 )； 重复； 再造； 再生

参考例句：

• Later outplant the seedlings in a replicated permanent test plantation. 以后苗木出圃栽植成重复的永久性试验林。
• The phage has replicated and the donor cells have lysed. 噬菌体已复制和给体细胞已发生裂解。

5 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。

6 genders   

n.性某些语言的（阳性、阴性和中性，不同的性有不同的词尾等）( gender的名词复数 )；性别；某些语言的（名词、代词和形容词）性的区分

参考例句：

• There are three genders in German: masculine, feminine and neuter. 德语中有叁性：阳性、阴性和中性。 来自辞典例句
• Japan was fourth among the genders of foreign students. 日本在二十个留美学生输送地中列第四位。 来自互联网

7 portray   

v.描写，描述；画(人物、景象等)

参考例句：

• It is difficult to portray feelings in words.感情很难用言语来描写。
• Can you portray the best and worst aspects of this job?您能描述一下这份工作最好与最坏的方面吗？

8 astonishment   

n.惊奇，惊异

参考例句：

• They heard him give a loud shout of astonishment.他们听见他惊奇地大叫一声。
• I was filled with astonishment at her strange action.我对她的奇怪举动不胜惊异。

9 mosques   

清真寺； 伊斯兰教寺院，清真寺； 清真寺，伊斯兰教寺院( mosque的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Why make us believe that this tunnel runs underneath the mosques? 为什么要让我们相信这条隧洞是在清真寺下？
• The city's three biggest mosques, long fallen into disrepair, have been renovated. 城里最大的三座清真寺，过去年久失修，现在已经修复。

10 cater   

vi.(for/to)满足，迎合；(for)提供饮食及服务

参考例句：

• I expect he will be able to cater for your particular needs.我预计他能满足你的特殊需要。
• Most schools cater for children of different abilities.大多数学校能够满足具有不同天资的儿童的需要。

11 transformation   

n.变化；改造；转变

参考例句：

• Going to college brought about a dramatic transformation in her outlook.上大学使她的观念发生了巨大的变化。
• He was struggling to make the transformation from single man to responsible husband.他正在努力使自己由单身汉变为可靠的丈夫。

12 interpretation   

n.解释，说明，描述；艺术处理

参考例句：

• His statement admits of one interpretation only.他的话只有一种解释。
• Analysis and interpretation is a very personal thing.分析与说明是个很主观的事情。

13 odds   

n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别

参考例句：

• The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
• Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？

14 mainstream   

n.（思想或行为的）主流；adj.主流的

参考例句：

• Their views lie outside the mainstream of current medical opinion.他们的观点不属于当今医学界观点的主流。
• Polls are still largely reflects the mainstream sentiment.民调还在很大程度上反映了社会主流情绪。

15 arson   

n.纵火，放火

参考例句：

• He was serving a ten spot for arson.他因纵火罪在服十年徒刑。
• He was arraigned on a charge of arson.他因被指控犯纵火罪而被传讯。

16 variance   

n.矛盾，不同

参考例句：

• The question of woman suffrage sets them at variance. 妇女参政的问题使他们发生争执。
• It is unnatural for brothers to be at variance. 兄弟之间不睦是不近人情的。

17 condemn   

vt.谴责，指责；宣判(罪犯)，判刑

参考例句：

• Some praise him,whereas others condemn him.有些人赞扬他，而有些人谴责他。
• We mustn't condemn him on mere suppositions.我们不可全凭臆测来指责他。

18 anonymous   

adj.无名的；匿名的；无特色的

参考例句：

• Sending anonymous letters is a cowardly act.寄匿名信是懦夫的行为。
• The author wishes to remain anonymous.作者希望姓名不公开。

19 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

20 endorse   

vt.(支票、汇票等)背书，背署；批注；同意

参考例句：

• No one is foolish enough to endorse it.没有哪个人会傻得赞成它。
• I fully endorse your opinions on this subject.我完全拥护你对此课题的主张。

21 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

22 orientation   

n.方向，目标；熟悉，适应，情况介绍

参考例句：

• Children need some orientation when they go to school.小孩子上学时需要适应。
• The traveller found his orientation with the aid of a good map.旅行者借助一幅好地图得知自己的方向。

23 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

24 almighty   

adj.全能的，万能的；很大的，很强的

参考例句：

• Those rebels did not really challenge Gods almighty power.这些叛徒没有对上帝的全能力量表示怀疑。
• It's almighty cold outside.外面冷得要命。

25 exclusion   

n.拒绝，排除，排斥，远足，远途旅行

参考例句：

• Don't revise a few topics to the exclusion of all others.不要修改少数论题以致排除所有其他的。
• He plays golf to the exclusion of all other sports.他专打高尔夫球，其他运动一概不参加。

26 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。

27 intimidated   

v.恐吓；威胁adj.害怕的；受到威胁的

参考例句：

• We try to make sure children don't feel intimidated on their first day at school. 我们努力确保孩子们在上学的第一天不胆怯。
• The thief intimidated the boy into not telling the police. 这个贼恫吓那男孩使他不敢向警察报告。 来自《简明英汉词典》

28 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

29 judicial   

adj.司法的，法庭的，审判的，明断的，公正的

参考例句：

• He is a man with a judicial mind.他是个公正的人。
• Tom takes judicial proceedings against his father.汤姆对他的父亲正式提出诉讼。

30 tolerance   

n.宽容；容忍，忍受；耐药力；公差

参考例句：

• Tolerance is one of his strengths.宽容是他的一个优点。
• Human beings have limited tolerance of noise.人类对噪音的忍耐力有限。