VOA慢速英语2015 Struggling in Europe, Muslims Look to US for Better Model

AS IT IS 2015-03-03 Struggling in Europe, Muslims Look to US for Better Model

Oslo, Norway, is one of a growing number of cities in Europe that Muslims have been calling home. Like many communities across Europe, Oslo’s Muslims are struggling to keep their youth from joining extremist groups like the Islamic State.

Some observers¹ say many of the continent’s Muslim communities do not have enough to offer young people.

A recent study found that two Middle East countries -- Iraq and Syria -- are home to more than 20,000 foreign fighters. Almost 4,000 of those fighters are believed to be from Western Europe. The study was a project of the International Center for the Study of Radicalization at King’s College in London.

Yousef Bartho Assidiq is with the Project on Radicalization and Extremism at Norway’s MINOTEK research center. He told VOA many Islamic centers in the country are having a hard time providing enough activities for young people.

Mr. Assidiq says this lack of activities offers extremist groups a chance to reach out and recruit² those young people. He described the leaders of these groups as “the world’s best social workers.”

It is a struggle, experts say, that is not limited to Norway. Muslim communities in other countries are facing similar difficulties.

‘Better established communities’

While Europe is struggling, Muslim communities in the United States have seen smaller numbers of young people being recruited³. U.S. intelligence officials say they are following about 150 Americans who have gone or have tried to go to Syria or Iraq. The London-based study found that France, Germany, Sweden, and Britain all have sent more.

This week, U.S. officials charged three men with attempting and plotting to provide material support to Islamic State militants⁴. Officials recently charged several other people with planning to support the group. Yet militants appear to be having more success finding⁵ supporters in Europe than in the United States.

Observers suggest several reasons for the lower number of American jihadists. One reason is that American Muslim communities offer stronger youth and community programs.

Kelly Pemberton teaches religion and women’s studies at the George Washington University in Washington, D.C. She says many U.S. Muslims create connections and combine resources with other American Muslim communities. She says this kind of solidarity⁶ does not exist in Europe -- at least not the same level of support.

Sayyid Syeed works⁷ at the Islamic Society of North America’s Office for Interfaith and Community Alliances⁸. He says European Muslim communities can have the same success as America’s Muslim communities. But, he says, it will not be easy. He says Muslims who moved to Europe were never accepted by the whole society as equals or as partners. He says they would always talk as if they belonged somewhere else.

'A major journey'

Mr. Syeed says Europe’s Muslim communities often remain separate from the wider community and split⁹ because of the ethnic¹⁰ differences. He says they often look to their home countries for religious leaders.

In the United States, however, things are different. In Mr. Syeed's words, “Today we have American-born imams,” or religious leaders. “We have slowly been able to replace earlier imams who could not talk to our teenagers, to our wives,” and who could not mix in with the rest of society. “It is a major journey that we have taken,” he says.

Mr. Syeed and Professor Pemberton say Europe’s Muslims will need help from European governments to deal with discrimination and a lack of economic opportunities for them. But, the professor does not think that will happen anytime soon. In fact, she sees the opposite happening.

“France’s government has stepped up its policing of Muslim communities,” she notes. There have been anti-Muslim demonstrations¹¹ in some European countries, including France and Germany.

Words in This Story

recruit – v. to ask individuals to join a company, the armed forces or another organization

discrimination – n. unfair treatment or consideration based on opinions about a whole group instead of the qualities of an individual.

solidarity – n. a feeling of unity between people who have the same interests or goals

1 observers   

n.观察者( observer的名词复数 )；遵守者；观测者；目击者

参考例句：

• According to observers, the plane exploded shortly after take-off. 据目击者说，飞机起飞后不久就爆炸了。
• Some military observers fear the US could get entangled in another war. 一些军事观察家担心美国会卷入另一场战争。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 recruit   

n.招聘，新兵，新成员；v.恢复，补充，招募

参考例句：

• The country's first act would be to recruit for the navy.国家的第一个行动是为海军征募新兵。
• This is a nationwide campaign to recruit women into trade unions.这是一次吸收妇女参加工会的全国性运动。

3 recruited   

招聘( recruit的过去式和过去分词 )； 吸收某人为新成员； 动员…（提供帮助）； 雇用

参考例句：

• Were men for the Navy recruited from men on merchant ships? 海军的人员是从商船的人员中征募的吗？
• Most of the workers will be recruited locally. 大多数工人都会在本地招募。

4 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

5 finding   

n.发现，发现物；调查的结果

参考例句：

• The finding makes some sense.该发现具有一定的意义。
• That's an encouraging finding.这是一个鼓舞人心的发现。

6 solidarity   

n.团结；休戚相关

参考例句：

• They must preserve their solidarity.他们必须维护他们的团结。
• The solidarity among China's various nationalities is as firm as a rock.中国各族人民之间的团结坚如磐石。

7 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。

8 alliances   

（国家、政党等的）结盟( alliance的名词复数 )； 同盟国； 结盟的社会； 联姻

参考例句：

• Our alliances will be sundered if they appear as obstacles to peace. 我们的同盟如果成为和平的障碍，就会瓦解。
• Inevitably this produced a challenge to our previous predominance in our alliances. 这不可避免地形成了对我们从前在联盟中的支配地位的挑战。

9 split   

n.劈开，裂片，裂口；adj.分散的；v.分离，分开，劈开

参考例句：

• Who told you that Mary and I had split up?谁告诉你玛丽和我已经离婚了？
• The teacher split the class up into six groups.老师把班级分成6个小组。

10 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

11 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。