VOA标准英语2010年-American Muslims Gather to Break Fast

Muslims often break their fast by drinking water and eating dates as the Prophet¹ Muhammad did.
 

The holy month of Ramadan is marked by fasting from dawn to dusk.

Muslim Americans end each day of fasting with a festive² meal known as Iftar. After a long day, they relax and share the rituals³ of Ramadan from sundown to the predawn hours.

Coming together

As the sun sets, several Muslim families gather in a Virginia home just outside of Washington, D.C. to break the daily fast together.

Each family has brought a dish to share.

"We pray, we thank God every night and it reminds me of Thanksgiving, and I am grateful to God because he is giving us thirty Thanksgivings, not only one," says Aida Mady, an interior⁴ decorator and member of the American Muslim Women Association, who is hosting the Iftar.

Her husband, Ibrahim, is a physician. He graduated from Al Azhar University in Cairo, the oldest Islamic University in the world.

"We break our fast drinking water and eating dates as the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, used to do," he says. "And then we go and pray our first night prayer and then come back and eat our Iftar."

The five Muslim families attend the Iftar after a long day at work where they are surrounded by non-Muslims. Yusra Shawer, a policy analyst⁵, copes with the challenge of being around people who are not fasting.  

Increased devotion

"I am always reminding myself that it is the time when I remember God, be close to him, have devotion for the religion, so it is not too bad."

 
VOA
Ramadan is often a time of increased prayer and devotion.
 

Ramadan is an opportunity for Muslim Americans to unify⁶ and discuss issues related to the community.

"Despite the controversy⁷ over an Islamic cultural center in New York, we are sure that the principles of our founding fathers would eventually prevail," says Dr. Said Ali, a gynecologist in neighboring Maryland. "There is no doubt that we Muslim Americans thank God every day for the freedoms our country secured for us." 

After the meal, the families perform the nightly prayer.

"Ramadan nightly prayer is an expression of devotion and seeking forgiveness," says Ali Gamay, a businessman. "Each night we finish reciting one chapter of the holy Koran. By the end of the holy month of Ramadan we complete reciting the 30 chapters."

Gamay is raising funds for a new Islamic Center in Northern Virginia. He says local Jewish and Christian⁸ leaders have expressed support for the project, especially since the center will include interfaith activities:

"That is one huge function we would like to perform, which is to invite non-Muslims and start a dialogue about religions and make them understand more about Islam because the issue we notice in America is that most Americans really have never met a Muslim and they have no idea about Islam. We would like to promote understanding and open channels for communications."

Giving to the less fortunate - these young Muslims are preparing bagged lunches for the homeless - is an important part of Ramadan.
 

Helping⁹ others

The young members of these families are following the tradition of helping those less fortunate during Ramadan.

They've set up a group called, One Race, One Place.

"This Saturday we are going to do something called Meals On Wheels and we basically will get together at a friend's house and bag as many lunches as we can possibly make for homeless people," says Dina Mohamed. "And we go down to the city and pass them out and see how many people we can feed."

It's all part of the Ramadan tradition, getting closer to God and each other, while keeping the less fortunate in their thoughts.
 

1 prophet   

n.预言家，先知，提倡者

参考例句：

• A prophet made a prophecy that the kingdom would fall.一位预言家预言那个王国将要灭亡。
• The pity is that you are not a prophet.可惜你不能未卜先知。

2 festive   

adj.欢宴的，节日的

参考例句：

• It was Christmas and everyone was in festive mood.当时是圣诞节，每个人都沉浸在节日的欢乐中。
• We all wore festive costumes to the ball.我们都穿着节日的盛装前去参加舞会。

3 rituals   

（宗教等的）仪式( ritual的名词复数 )； 例行公事，老规矩

参考例句：

• A cognac before bed is one of our little nightly rituals. 临睡之前喝点儿干邑是我们每天晚上的小习惯之一。
• Many of the tribe's customs and rituals are as old as the hills. 这部落的许多风俗、仪式都极其古老。

4 interior   

adj.在内的，内部的，内地的，国内的；n.内部

参考例句：

• There is water in the interior of the cave.在山洞的内部有水。
• They went into the interior room.他们进了内室。

5 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

6 unify   

vt.使联合，统一；使相同，使一致

参考例句：

• How can we unify such scattered islands into a nation?我们怎么才能把如此分散的岛屿统一成一个国家呢？
• It is difficult to imagine how the North and South could ever agree on a formula to unify the divided peninsula.很难想象南北双方在统一半岛的方案上究竟怎样才能达成一致。

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 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。

9 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。