2006年VOA标准英语-Muslim Protests Continue Over Muhammad Car

By Meredith Buel
Washington
17 February 2006

Protests are continuing across the Muslim world against the publication of cartoons ridiculing¹ the Prophet Muhammad.  Political and religious leaders have condemned³ the violence that has killed at least 18 people, and are expressing concerns the uproar⁴ may widen the gap between the West and the Islamic world.

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Pakistani police officers arrest protesters gathered to condemn² publication of cartoons of Islamic Prophet Muhammad
  

From Europe to Africa through the Middle East and Asia, protests have erupted over cartoons first published last September in a Danish newspaper lampooning⁵ the Prophet Muhammad.

Journalists that published the cartoons say they did so in defense⁶ of freedom of speech, while many Muslims found the caricatures to be blasphemous⁷ and an insult to Islam.

One cartoon depicted⁸ Muhammad with a bomb in place of a turban on his head, while another linked the prophet to suicide attacks.

Imam Mohamed Magid is the leader of a large mosque⁹ and community center outside Washington, D.C. that serves more than 5,000 Muslim families. He has been closely following the cartoon controversy¹⁰ and says linking Islam to terrorism led to the uproar.

"What really hurt Muslims about this issue is how this newspaper has presented Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, is a stereotyping¹¹ of Muslims as well as the religion of Islam, that Islam is a religion of terrorism, a religion of violence and so forth," he said.

The Reverend Clark Lobenstine is a Presbyterian minister and director of the Interfaith Conference of Metropolitan¹² Washington.

He slams the decision to publish the cartoons, saying Western concerns about freedom of speech should not lead to the publication of cartoons that insult one of the world's major religions.

"To cry fire in a crowded theater is not covered by free speech," he explained.  "We live in a world that is a crowded theater and we must be wise in our words and use discretion¹³ in our actions."

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says the cartoons are offensive to her, and has urged Muslim leaders to speak out against the violent protests.

In Europe and the United States some officials have accused the governments in Iran and Syria of encouraging protests for political reasons.

Parvez Ahmed, the chairman of the board of the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations, wonders why protesters in some countries have targeted the United States.

"It makes no sense to wake up in the morning, pick up the newspaper, and see rioters in Pakistan burning a McDonalds," he explained.  "I mean what does America have to do with this controversy?  America, if anything has been exemplary in dealing¹⁴ with this controversy, both at a political level, as well as at an interfaith or even at a media level.  The media has exhibited extreme restraint and respect towards Muslims and Islam."

Rabbi Mark Gopin, the director of the Center for World Relations, Diplomacy¹⁵ and Conflict Resolution at George Mason University, says the controversy over the cartoons is an example of the lack of understanding between Muslims and people in the West.

"That is exactly where tragedies occur, when people are not aware of the things that are the most offensive and hurtful to the other group," he said.  "I hope that out of this tragedy comes a greater global conversation, not just between the religions, but also between the religions and the secular¹⁶ constructs of civilization, whether it be European civilization or American civilization or other states around the world."

It is not known whether the furor¹⁷ over the cartoons will die down, or if the violence will escalate¹⁸, but in some places there are continued efforts to keep the issue alive.

Local Islamic leaders in the Pakistani city of Peshawar are offering rewards of more than $1 million to anyone who kills the Danish artists who drew the cartoons.

1 ridiculing   

v.嘲笑，嘲弄，奚落( ridicule的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Proxmire has made himself quite a reputation out of ridiculing government expenditure he disagrees with. 普罗克斯迈尔对于他不同意花的政府开支总要取笑一番，他因此而名声大振。 来自辞典例句
• The demonstrators put on skits ridiculing the aggressors. 游行的人上演了活报剧来讽刺侵略者。 来自互联网

2 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。

3 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。

4 uproar   

n.骚动，喧嚣，鼎沸

参考例句：

• She could hear the uproar in the room.她能听见房间里的吵闹声。
• His remarks threw the audience into an uproar.他的讲话使听众沸腾起来。

5 lampooning   

v.冷嘲热讽，奚落( lampoon的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Larry Ellison is a prime choice for such lampooning because-married, thrice-divorced multimillionaire is larger than life. 拉里·埃里森写那么一篇讽刺性的文章的初衷是因为他生活无羁，且是一个三次结婚三次离婚的亿万富翁。 来自互联网

6 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

7 blasphemous   

adj.亵渎神明的，不敬神的

参考例句：

• The book was declared blasphemous and all copies ordered to be burnt.这本书被断定为亵渎神明之作，命令全数焚毀。
• The people in the room were shocked by his blasphemous language.满屋的人都对他那侮慢的语言感到愤慨。

8 depicted   

描绘，描画( depict的过去式和过去分词 )； 描述

参考例句：

• Other animals were depicted on the periphery of the group. 其他动物在群像的外围加以修饰。
• They depicted the thrilling situation to us in great detail. 他们向我们详细地描述了那激动人心的场面。

9 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。

10 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

11 stereotyping   

v.把…模式化，使成陈规( stereotype的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• I realize that I'm stereotyping. 我认识到我搞的是老一套。 来自辞典例句
• There is none of the gender stereotyping usually evident in school uniforms. 有没有人的性别刻板印象通常是显而易见的。 来自互联网

12 metropolitan   

adj.大城市的，大都会的

参考例句：

• Metropolitan buildings become taller than ever.大城市的建筑变得比以前更高。
• Metropolitan residents are used to fast rhythm.大都市的居民习惯于快节奏。

13 discretion   

n.谨慎；随意处理

参考例句：

• You must show discretion in choosing your friend.你择友时必须慎重。
• Please use your best discretion to handle the matter.请慎重处理此事。

14 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

15 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

16 secular   

n.牧师，凡人；adj.世俗的，现世的，不朽的

参考例句：

• We live in an increasingly secular society.我们生活在一个日益非宗教的社会。
• Britain is a plural society in which the secular predominates.英国是个世俗主导的多元社会。

17 furor   

n.狂热；大骚动

参考例句：

• His choice of words created quite a furor.他的措辞引起了相当大的轰动。
• The half hour lecture caused an enormous furor.那半小时的演讲引起了极大的轰动。

18 escalate   

v.(使)逐步增长(或发展)，(使)逐步升级

参考例句：

• It would tempt Israel's neighbors to escalate their demands.它将诱使以色列的邻国不断把他们的要求升级。
• Defeat could cause one side or other to escalate the conflict.失败可能会导致其中一方将冲突升级。