VOA标准英语2010年-French Burqa Vote Stirs Strong Reactio

A woman wearing the niqab, a veil worn by the most conservative Muslims that exposes only a woman's eyes, walks in the Belsunce district of downtown Marseille, central France, 19 Jun 2009

 

France's lower house of Parliament has voted overwhelmingly in favor of banning women from wearing the full Muslim veil – the face-covering niqab and the burqa – in public.  Some say the move is necessary for security while others say it is religious discrimination against Muslims.

The vote was overwhelming Tuesday – 336 - 1.  More than 200 opposition¹ Socialists² and Communists boycotted³ the ballot⁴, with some predicting the law would be overturned in court.

However, French Justice Minister Michele Alliot-Marie, said the vote upholds values France has held for centuries.

"These are values that remind us that France is never as big, as strong, as recognized in the world, as when it is united around its values,” she said. “Humanitarian values, which today as yesterday forge our unity⁵, our uniqueness and the greatness of France."

Ongoing⁶ Dispute

The controversy⁷ over the burqa and the niqab in France has been ongoing for years.  About five million Muslims live in France, and only a minority of Muslim women wears the garments that conceal⁸ either all but their eyes or their entire identity.

Ibrahim Hooper is a spokesman for the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations.  He says that the French vote is a thinly-disguised attempt to discriminate⁹ against all Muslims, not just those who wear the burqa.

"It's really a new type of law targeting a particular minority faith based on the prejudices of the majority. And my religious rights should not be dependent on a majority vote,” said Hooper.

Security Concerns

David Aaron, a Senior Fellow with the RAND Corporation outside Washington who focuses on the Middle East and Counterterrorism, told VOA that the face-covering veils do pose a security threat in public places such as train stations or bus stops because they make identification impossible.

"I know there are many people who believe this simply a racist¹⁰, anti-Islamic sort of provision,” Aaron said. “But I think that it is also a serious problem and it is a serious problem for the French and other Europeans who are accustomed to having identity documents.  And if you are wearing a burqa, there's no way to check those identity documents,” he added.

Human Rights Issue?

John Dalhuisen is an Amnesty International expert on discrimination in Europe.  He says that banning the full-face veil in public could lead to more restrictions¹¹ on women's rights.

"I think there's definitely a risk that some of those who are currently being forced to wear veils won't necessarily see their situation improve,” said Dalhuisen.

“They are likely to be restricted more to their home.  They will see access to services, goods and perhaps even the assistance that they might want to reach out to taken away from them,” he added.

According to Dalhuisen, “There's obviously a risk of a double punishment - they are punished in the home and then they go out in the street and they are punished again."

Discrimination

Ibrahim Hooper says that the security argument is not valid¹² - that there are plenty of circumstances where Muslim women are identified in private by removing their veils and then replacing them in public.

“Female officers can see the face. There's all kinds of ways to deal with that situation,” Hooper said.

“Muslim women in face veils regularly get on airlines, and you don't have tougher security than airline security,” the CAIR spokesman said. “That's just one of those arguments that is thrown out there, and it really has nothing to do with the real issue and the real issue is the targeting of Islam in Europe."

Public Opinion

If the ban becomes law, violators face a $190 fine. Men who force women to wear the full veils face an $18,000 fine and a year in jail. The French law goes to the Senate in September where it is also expected to pass.

A new poll by the Pew Research Center shows that more than 82 percent of the French public approves of the ban. Majorities in Germany (71 percent), Britain (62 percent) and Spain (59 percent) said they would support banning the full-face veils in their own countries. By contrast, in the same poll, a majority of Americans said they would not approve a similar law.
 

1 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

2 socialists   

社会主义者( socialist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The socialists saw themselves as true heirs of the Enlightenment. 社会主义者认为自己是启蒙运动的真正继承者。
• The Socialists junked dogma when they came to office in 1982. 社会党人1982年上台执政后，就把其政治信条弃之不顾。

3 boycotted   

抵制，拒绝参加( boycott的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Athletes from several countries boycotted the Olympic Games. 有好几国的运动员抵制奥林匹克运动会。
• The opposition party earlier boycotted the Diet agenda, demanding Miyaji's resignation. 反对党曾杯葛国会议程，要宫路下台。

4 ballot   

n.（不记名）投票，投票总数，投票权；vi.投票

参考例句：

• The members have demanded a ballot.会员们要求投票表决。
• The union said they will ballot members on whether to strike.工会称他们将要求会员投票表决是否罢工。

5 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

6 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

7 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。

8 conceal   

v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽

参考例句：

• He had to conceal his identity to escape the police.为了躲避警方，他只好隐瞒身份。
• He could hardly conceal his joy at his departure.他几乎掩饰不住临行时的喜悦。

9 discriminate   

v.区别，辨别，区分；有区别地对待

参考例句：

• You must learn to discriminate between facts and opinions.你必须学会把事实和看法区分出来。
• They can discriminate hundreds of colours.他们能分辨上百种颜色。

10 racist   

n.种族主义者，种族主义分子

参考例句：

• a series of racist attacks 一连串的种族袭击行为
• His speech presented racist ideas under the guise of nationalism. 他的讲话以民族主义为幌子宣扬种族主义思想。

11 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

12 valid   

adj.有确实根据的；有效的；正当的，合法的

参考例句：

• His claim to own the house is valid.他主张对此屋的所有权有效。
• Do you have valid reasons for your absence?你的缺席有正当理由吗？