2006年VOA标准英语-West Bank Churches Attacked as Muslims Protest

By Robert Berger
Jerusalem
16 September 2006

There is growing anger in the Muslim world over remarks this week by Pope Benedict XVI seen as criticizing Islam.  Protests have erupted in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, amid a wave of criticism from Muslim leaders in the Middle East and elsewhere.

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Palestinian security officer holds his weapon as he guards the entrance of the St. Perfidious¹ Greek Orthodox Church after it was attacked by militants² in Gaza City
  
Palestinians threw firebombs at two churches in the West Bank town of Nablus. A group called the Lions of Monotheism claimed responsibility, saying the attacks were in protest against the pope's remarks about Islam. The firebombs caused no injuries or serious damage.

Palestinian Christian³ leaders played down the attacks as isolated⁴ incidents. Victor Batarseh, the Christian mayor of Palestinian-ruled Bethlehem, says relations between Muslims and Christians⁵ are good.

"We have been living together here for hundreds of years and we'll keep living together as good neighbors and good friends forever," he said.

On Friday, 2,000 Palestinians held a protest in Gaza, accusing the pope of leading a new Crusade against the Muslim world.

Palestinians and other Muslims are furious over these remarks by Pope Benedict:

Pope Benedict XVI, left, accompanied by his brother Georg Ratzinger as he visits St. Oswald church, Sept. 11, 2006   
  
During a trip to his native Germany, the pope cited a medieval text that describes some of the teachings of the Prophet Mohammed as "evil and inhuman⁶." It objects to jihad, or holy war, and Mohammed's command to spread the Muslim faith by the sword.

The Vatican issued a statement Saturday saying Pope Benedict is sorry that Muslims found his speech offensive. He expressed respect for their faith, saying Muslims "worship the only God."

But that may not quell⁷ the outrage⁸. Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood⁹ said the Pope's statement does not go far enough. The Brotherhood, which has inspired Islamic movements across the Arab world, said the pope made a grave mistake, which can only be corrected by a personal apology. 

 
Pakistan's President Gen. Pervez Musharraf
  
In Cuba, Pakistan's president, Pervez Musharraf, had this to say: "Our strategy must clearly oppose the sinister¹⁰ tendencies to associate terrorism with Islam and discrimination against Muslims." 

The rage unleashed¹¹ by Benedict's comments has raised fears of violent anti-Western protests like those that followed the publication of caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed in a Danish newspaper in February.

1 perfidious   

adj.不忠的，背信弃义的

参考例句：

• Their feet will trample on the dead bodies of their perfidious aggressors.他们将从背信弃义的侵略者的尸体上踏过。
• Your perfidious gossip is malicious and dangerous.你说的那些背信弃义的话是很刻毒险恶的。

2 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。

3 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。

4 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

5 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。

6 inhuman   

adj.残忍的，不人道的，无人性的

参考例句：

• We must unite the workers in fighting against inhuman conditions.我们必须使工人们团结起来反对那些难以忍受的工作条件。
• It was inhuman to refuse him permission to see his wife.不容许他去看自己的妻子是太不近人情了。

7 quell   

v.压制，平息，减轻

参考例句：

• Soldiers were sent in to quell the riots.士兵们被派去平息骚乱。
• The armed force had to be called out to quell violence.不得不出动军队来镇压暴力行动。

8 outrage   

n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒

参考例句：

• When he heard the news he reacted with a sense of outrage.他得悉此事时义愤填膺。
• We should never forget the outrage committed by the Japanese invaders.我们永远都不应该忘记日本侵略者犯下的暴行。

9 brotherhood   

n.兄弟般的关系，手中情谊

参考例句：

• They broke up the brotherhood.他们断绝了兄弟关系。
• They live and work together in complete equality and brotherhood.他们完全平等和兄弟般地在一起生活和工作。

10 sinister   

adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的

参考例句：

• There is something sinister at the back of that series of crimes.在这一系列罪行背后有险恶的阴谋。
• Their proposals are all worthless and designed out of sinister motives.他们的建议不仅一钱不值，而且包藏祸心。

11 unleashed   

v.把（感情、力量等）释放出来，发泄( unleash的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The government's proposals unleashed a storm of protest in the press. 政府的提案引发了新闻界的抗议浪潮。
• The full force of his rage was unleashed against me. 他把所有的怒气都发泄在我身上。 来自《简明英汉词典》