VOA标准英语2009-Major Nidal Hasan's Palestinian Relatives Tr

Cousin in family's hometown says Hasan recently became closer to Islam

Luis Ramirez | El- Bireh, West Bank 23 November 2009

 
Mohamed Hasan, first cousin of Nidal Hasan, U.S. Army psychiatrist¹ who allegedly opened fire on soldiers at Fort Hood³ in the U.S. state of Texas, 23 Nov 2009

"Frankly⁴, when we heard the news, we were so surprised, especially because the history of this family is of non-violence. Also, we have never been fanatic⁵ Muslims. We were very surprised. The whole family would expect that something was wrong with him."

New information continues to emerge on the background of Major Nidal Hasan, the U.S. Army psychiatrist who allegedly opened fire on soldiers at Fort Hood in the U.S. state of Texas.  A 2007 U.S. Army memo⁶ speaks of his poor performance treating soldiers at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington DC. His Palestinian relatives in the occupied West Bank, meanwhile, speak of his sudden turn to a strict adherence⁷ to Islam.

For Mohamed Hasan, the most tangible⁸ connection he has today to his first cousin Nidal Hasan is a photo of Nidal's father, who immigrated⁹ to the United States several decades ago.

But Mohamed says throughout his life, he has kept in close touch with Nidal.  He says he noticed a change shortly before the rampage at Fort Hood.
 
"After the death of his mother and father, he became very religious.  He started praying and fasting," Mohamed Hasan said.

He prays regularly, but does not consider himself or the family to hold fundamentalist views.

For Mohamed, the shock of hearing that his cousin killed 13 people, almost all of them soldiers, is huge.

"Frankly, when we heard the news, we were so surprised, especially because the history of this family is of non-violence.  Also, we have never been fanatic Muslims.  We were very surprised.  The whole family would expect that something was wrong with him," Mohamed Hasan said.

AP/Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
U.S. Army psychiatrist Nidal Malik Hasan who allegedly opened fire on soldiers at Fort Hood in the U.S. state of Texas, killing¹⁰ 13 (file photo)

Warning signs that Major Hasan was either mentally unstable¹¹ or politically motivated have been emerging in news media reports. 

A memo from Dr. Hasan's superior in 2007 listed serious performance issues with his treatment of soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington.

Media reports have quoted the memo, which said Dr. Hasan proselytized¹² to his patients. 

Mohamed and his relatives have been speaking to the media, hoping to clear Nidal's name and that of their clan¹³. 

Here in his ancestral village of El-Bireh, few on the street want to talk about the alleged² actions of someone the elders consider a son of the community.

Some point to U.S. media reports that Nidal Hasan's army colleagues offended his Muslim sensibilities.

"This should not affect the name of El-Bireh.   Maybe they harassed¹⁴ him.  Nobody does something like this without a reason.  Sometimes, people kill their own brothers for a reason.  Nothing happens without a reason," al-Ayan said.

Nidal Hasan's Palestinian relatives say they are pained by allegations that their cousin is an Islamic terrorist.  Like much of the rest of the world, they wait for investigations  to reveal the truth.

1 psychiatrist   

n.精神病专家；精神病医师

参考例句：

• He went to a psychiatrist about his compulsive gambling.他去看精神科医生治疗不能自拔的赌瘾。
• The psychiatrist corrected him gently.精神病医师彬彬有礼地纠正他。

2 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

3 hood   

n.头巾，兜帽，覆盖；v.罩上，以头巾覆盖

参考例句：

• She is wearing a red cloak with a hood.她穿着一件红色带兜帽的披风。
• The car hood was dented in.汽车的发动机罩已凹了进去。

4 frankly   

adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说

参考例句：

• To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。
• Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。

5 fanatic   

n.狂热者，入迷者；adj.狂热入迷的

参考例句：

• Alexander is a football fanatic.亚历山大是个足球迷。
• I am not a religious fanatic but I am a Christian.我不是宗教狂热分子，但我是基督徒。

6 memo   

n.照会，备忘录；便笺；通知书；规章

参考例句：

• Do you want me to send the memo out?您要我把这份备忘录分发出去吗？
• Can you type a memo for me?您能帮我打一份备忘录吗？

7 adherence   

n.信奉，依附，坚持，固着

参考例句：

• He was well known for his adherence to the rules.他因遵循这些规定而出名。
• The teacher demanded adherence to the rules.老师要求学生们遵守纪律。

8 tangible   

adj.有形的，可触摸的，确凿的，实际的

参考例句：

• The policy has not yet brought any tangible benefits.这项政策还没有带来任何实质性的好处。
• There is no tangible proof.没有确凿的证据。

9 immigrated   

v.移入( immigrate的过去式和过去分词 )；移民

参考例句：

• He immigrated from Ulster in 1848. 他1848年从阿尔斯特移民到这里。 来自辞典例句
• Many Pakistanis have immigrated to Britain. 许多巴基斯坦人移居到了英国。 来自辞典例句

10 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。

11 unstable   

adj.不稳定的，易变的

参考例句：

• This bookcase is too unstable to hold so many books.这书橱很不结实，装不了这么多书。
• The patient's condition was unstable.那患者的病情不稳定。

12 proselytized   

v.（使）改变宗教信仰[政治信仰、意见等]，使变节( proselytize的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

13 clan   

n.氏族，部落，宗族，家族，宗派

参考例句：

• She ranks as my junior in the clan.她的辈分比我小。
• The Chinese Christians,therefore,practically excommunicate themselves from their own clan.所以，中国的基督徒简直是被逐出了自己的家族了。

14 harassed   

adj. 疲倦的，厌烦的 动词harass的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He has complained of being harassed by the police. 他投诉受到警方侵扰。
• harassed mothers with their children 带着孩子的疲惫不堪的母亲们