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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
Terrorism tied to Islamic fundamentalism seems to be on the rise in many parts of world -- from Yemen and Pakistan to southern Thailand and the Philippine island of Mindanao. But, in Indonesia -- a country that security experts worried might become a base for training and exporting al-Qaida recruits -- terrorism has declined in the last five years. The Indonesian government has taken a soft approach to terrorism, treating it as a crime and and not a war. And this approach seems to be working.
In July 2009, suicide bombers1 linked to Jemaah Islamiyah (The Islamic Group), an Indonesian organization affiliated2 with al-Qaida, detonated explosives in two Western hotels in Jakarta, killing3 nine people and injuring more than 50 others.
The deadly bombing was a reminder4 that terrorism remains5 a threat, but this was also the first deadly attack in two years.
Analyst6 Sidney Jones says terrorism in Indonesia is on the decline in part because political and social conditions in the country are stable. "We don't have a repressive government. The country is not under occupation. We don't have an alienated7 minority," Jones said. "And, we don't have any hostile neighbors stirring up trouble or having the inclination8 to stir up trouble."
Back in 2001, after the U.S. invaded Afghanistan, Jones says there was concern that terrorists were gaining public approval as anti-American sentiment spread across the Muslim world. "There was at least passive support in a number of circles in Indonesia for some kind of retaliatory9 measures against the United States," she said.
The Bali bombing in 2002, which killed more than 200 people, highlighted the growing problem of terrorists in Indonesia. But instead of responding with military force, Indonesia's government decided10 to take a softer approach, treating terrorists as criminals.
History Professor Azyumardi Azra says by trying the terrorists in open court, the government was able to convince a skeptical11 public that these terrorist acts were indigenous12 Muslim-on-Muslim crimes and not Western plots. "After bringing some of the perpetrators of the Bali bombing to justice, then it is clear that they did this suicide bombing by themselves, not because of engineering by external intelligence powers," Azra said.
Azra says some Muslim groups in Indonesia are playing a prominent role in promoting multiculturalism13 and tolerance14 and preventing outside fundamentalists from gaining a foothold in Indonesian mosques15.
The millions of dollars in U.S. aid after the tsunami16 did little to enhance America's image in Indonesia, Jones says, partly because it was not highlighted in the local media. But she says the election of President Barack Obama has won Indonesian hearts and minds.
"The switch from Bush, who was so universally reviled17, to someone who grew up in Indonesia and who talks about his favorite Indonesian food and still remembers some Indonesian language, I think that made a huge difference," Jones said.
Although the threat of terrorism remains -- and it's impossible to say if there will be more attacks -- Jones says Indonesia has contained the problem by not declaring a war on terror.
1 bombers | |
n.轰炸机( bomber的名词复数 );投弹手;安非他明胶囊;大麻叶香烟 | |
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2 affiliated | |
adj. 附属的, 有关连的 | |
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3 killing | |
n.巨额利润;突然赚大钱,发大财 | |
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4 reminder | |
n.提醒物,纪念品;暗示,提示 | |
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5 remains | |
n.剩余物,残留物;遗体,遗迹 | |
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6 analyst | |
n.分析家,化验员;心理分析学家 | |
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7 alienated | |
adj.感到孤独的,不合群的v.使疏远( alienate的过去式和过去分词 );使不友好;转让;让渡(财产等) | |
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8 inclination | |
n.倾斜;点头;弯腰;斜坡;倾度;倾向;爱好 | |
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9 retaliatory | |
adj.报复的 | |
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10 decided | |
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的 | |
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11 skeptical | |
adj.怀疑的,多疑的 | |
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12 indigenous | |
adj.土产的,土生土长的,本地的 | |
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13 multiculturalism | |
n.多元文化 | |
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14 tolerance | |
n.宽容;容忍,忍受;耐药力;公差 | |
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15 mosques | |
清真寺; 伊斯兰教寺院,清真寺; 清真寺,伊斯兰教寺院( mosque的名词复数 ) | |
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16 tsunami | |
n.海啸 | |
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17 reviled | |
v.辱骂,痛斥( revile的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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