VOA标准英语2008年-Muslim Scholars Come to Mickey Mouse's Rescue

A number of Muslim scholars are condemning¹ a recent Islamic edict, or fatwah, by Syrian-born Saudi Sheikh Mohammed Salah al Munjid calling for Mickey Mouse to be put to death. The fatwah has been mocked and derided² internationally as Edward Yeranian reports for VOA from Beirut.
　
Mickey Mouse

If he could Mickey Mouse might breath a sigh of relief, after a number of Islamic clerics came out against a fatwah calling for the Disney cartoon character to be "put to death."

Syrian-born Saudi Sheikh Mohammed Salah al Munjid, speaking recently on Saudi religious TV Al Majd al Islamiya, called Mickey Mouse a "soldier of Satan," and urged that he be killed.

"[This mouse] is a detestable character. He is completely rotten. Satan hides behind his image," he says. "The mouse is obviously a soldier of Satan."

Sheikh Munjid, who once worked as a Saudi diplomat³ in Washington, claims that children in the Arab world now "worship mice as exalted⁴ beings," when, in fact, Islam teaches that they are "unclean."

Meanwhile, an Egyptian woman cleric, also a well-known TV figure, Suad Saleh, defended Mickey Mouse, saying that Sheikh Munjid's fatwah makes Islam look "ridiculous."

She argues that "real mice should be killed, according to the precepts⁵ of Islam, but that [Mickey] is a cartoon character ... so, killing⁶ him makes no sense."

On Al Arabiya TV, another Islamic scholar, Sheikh Mohammed Duheim, condemned⁷ Sheikh Munjid's ruling, insisting that he has "no right to speak for Islam."

"We must come out clearly on this issue," he says, "we are a diverse group of people, from many different cultures, and not everyone who claims to speak in the name of Islam speaks for all Muslims."

The fatwah against Mickey Mouse also sparked ridicule⁸ in the West, causing TV commentators⁹ from Fox News, Saturday Night Live, and even late-night talk show host Jay Leno to poke¹⁰ fun at the ruling.

Finally, adding to the tempest, Sheikh Munjid is now denying that he issued a fatwah to kill Mickey Mouse.

"I was merely expressing a personal opinion," he says.

 

1 condemning   

v.（通常因道义上的原因而）谴责( condemn的现在分词 )；宣判；宣布…不能使用；迫使…陷于不幸的境地

参考例句：

• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。
• I concur with the speaker in condemning what has been done. 我同意发言者对所做的事加以谴责。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

2 derided   

v.取笑，嘲笑( deride的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• His views were derided as old-fashioned. 他的观点被当作旧思想受到嘲弄。
• Gazing up to the darkness I saw myself as a creature driven and derided by vanity. 我抬头疑视着黑暗，感到自己是一个被虚荣心驱使和拨弄的可怜虫。 来自辞典例句

3 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

4 exalted   

adj.(地位等)高的，崇高的；尊贵的，高尚的

参考例句：

• Their loveliness and holiness in accordance with their exalted station.他们的美丽和圣洁也与他们的崇高地位相称。
• He received respect because he was a person of exalted rank.他因为是个地位崇高的人而受到尊敬。

5 precepts   

n.规诫，戒律，箴言( precept的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They accept the Prophet's precepts but reject some of his strictures. 他们接受先知的教训，但拒绝他的种种约束。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The legal philosopher's concern is to ascertain the true nature of all the precepts and norms. 法哲学家的兴趣在于探寻所有规范和准则的性质。 来自辞典例句

6 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

7 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。

8 ridicule   

v.讥讽，挖苦；n.嘲弄

参考例句：

• You mustn't ridicule unfortunate people.你不该嘲笑不幸的人。
• Silly mistakes and queer clothes often arouse ridicule.荒谬的错误和古怪的服装常会引起人们的讪笑。

9 commentators   

n.评论员( commentator的名词复数 )；时事评论员；注释者；实况广播员

参考例句：

• Sports commentators repeat the same phrases ad nauseam. 体育解说员翻来覆去说着同样的词语，真叫人腻烦。
• Television sports commentators repeat the same phrases ad nauseam. 电视体育解说员说来说去就是那么几句话，令人厌烦。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 poke   

n.刺，戳，袋；vt.拨开，刺，戳；vi.戳，刺，捅，搜索，伸出，行动散慢

参考例句：

• We never thought she would poke her nose into this.想不到她会插上一手。
• Don't poke fun at me.别拿我凑趣儿。