VOA标准英语2011--sia's Ahmadiyah Sect Fears Religious Vio

Indonesia's Ahmadiyah Sect¹ Fears Religious Violence

A survey by a human-rights group says most Indonesians oppose the use of violence against the minority Muslim sect Ahmadiyah. Following the light sentences Muslim fundamentalists received for their involvement in a deadly attack against the sect, Ahmadiyah followers³ fear religious persecution⁴ against minorities will only get worse.
Prayer services at the Al-Hidayah Ahmadiyah mosque⁵ in Jakarta still draw hundreds of followers, but there is now a police detail stationed out front to protect against a possible attack from Islamic fundamentalist groups.
While Ahmadiyah followers consider themselves Muslims, they are not accepted by mainstream⁶ Islam because they do not believe the Prophet Muhammad was the final prophet. The 200,000 members in Indonesia are permitted to practice their faith, but since 2008 have been banned from converting any new members.
A deadly attack in February by Islamic fundamentalists in the West Java town of Cikesik that killed three Ahmadiyah members was secretly videotaped by an Ahmadiyah follower². The video showed a mob of about 1,000 people, some armed with clubs and machetes, first throwing rocks, then pursuing and beating Ahmadiyah members to death. The videotaped brutality⁷ brought worldwide condemnation⁹ and a government pledge to bring those responsible for the violence to justice.
Ahmadiyah member Ahmad Masihuddin was among those attacked in Cikesik. He says he and two friends tried to run and hide, but were caught. He was stripped and beaten. He says his two friends were killed.
He says he was hit by a very big rock and blacked out. They took his friends, he says, and he does not know whether they were cut or hit, but they were dragged in a different direction.
Indonesia has a long tradition of religious diversity and tolerance¹⁰. A recent survey by the Setara Institute for Freedom and Democracy in Jakarta showed that Indonesians disapproved¹¹ of violence against the Ahmadiyah sect by a margin¹² of 80 percent.
But attacks on religious minorities have been on the rise in recent years. Human Rights Watch says in the last year there were at least 50 acts of violence committed against Ahmadiyah members in Indonesia.
The violence has not been met by a firm government response. Earlier this year a court sentenced 12 hard-line Muslims who participated in the mob attack to just six months in jail. An Ahmadiyah leader who refused to leave the scene of the mob and who struck a mob leader also received a six month sentence.
Masihuddin says he is angry and disappointed by the verdicts.
He says even people who do not know about the law will say it is unfair, that it is really uncivilized, and that is not Islam.
Another victim of the attack, Rizki, blames a small minority of extremists for the violence, but holds the government responsible for failing to protect religious minorities.
He says his nation supports human rights and the freedom and right to choose religion, but where is it for the Ahmadiyah? He says it does not apply.
State Islamic University history professor Azyumardi Azra says some police and government officials have been reluctant to enforce laws protecting minorities because they are either sympathetic to the Muslim fundamentalist groups or rely on them for political support. “All of these cases have to do with leadership, with very, I think, very low level of law enforcement, not with the law itself actually,” he said.
He says Muslim religious leaders and government officials need to speak out to condemn⁸ religious violence and take action against violent extremist groups to prevent other attacks that could undermine Indonesia's stability and democracy.

1 sect   

n.派别，宗教，学派，派系

参考例句：

• When he was sixteen he joined a religious sect.他16岁的时候加入了一个宗教教派。
• Each religious sect in the town had its own church.该城每一个宗教教派都有自己的教堂。

2 follower   

n.跟随者；随员；门徒；信徒

参考例句：

• He is a faithful follower of his home football team.他是他家乡足球队的忠实拥护者。
• Alexander is a pious follower of the faith.亚历山大是个虔诚的信徒。

3 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

4 persecution   

n. 迫害,烦扰

参考例句：

• He had fled from France at the time of the persecution. 他在大迫害时期逃离了法国。
• Their persecution only serves to arouse the opposition of the people. 他们的迫害只激起人民对他们的反抗。

5 mosque   

n.清真寺

参考例句：

• The mosque is a activity site and culture center of Muslim religion.清真寺为穆斯林宗教活动场所和文化中心。
• Some years ago the clock in the tower of the mosque got out of order.几年前，清真寺钟楼里的大钟失灵了。

6 mainstream   

n.（思想或行为的）主流；adj.主流的

参考例句：

• Their views lie outside the mainstream of current medical opinion.他们的观点不属于当今医学界观点的主流。
• Polls are still largely reflects the mainstream sentiment.民调还在很大程度上反映了社会主流情绪。

7 brutality   

n.野蛮的行为，残忍，野蛮

参考例句：

• The brutality of the crime has appalled the public. 罪行之残暴使公众大为震惊。
• a general who was infamous for his brutality 因残忍而恶名昭彰的将军

8 condemn   

vt.谴责，指责；宣判(罪犯)，判刑

参考例句：

• Some praise him,whereas others condemn him.有些人赞扬他，而有些人谴责他。
• We mustn't condemn him on mere suppositions.我们不可全凭臆测来指责他。

9 condemnation   

n.谴责; 定罪

参考例句：

• There was widespread condemnation of the invasion. 那次侵略遭到了人们普遍的谴责。
• The jury's condemnation was a shock to the suspect. 陪审团宣告有罪使嫌疑犯大为震惊。

10 tolerance   

n.宽容；容忍，忍受；耐药力；公差

参考例句：

• Tolerance is one of his strengths.宽容是他的一个优点。
• Human beings have limited tolerance of noise.人类对噪音的忍耐力有限。

11 disapproved   

v.不赞成( disapprove的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• My parents disapproved of my marriage. 我父母不赞成我的婚事。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She disapproved of her son's indiscriminate television viewing. 她不赞成儿子不加选择地收看电视。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 margin   

n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘

参考例句：

• We allowed a margin of 20 minutes in catching the train.我们有20分钟的余地赶火车。
• The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。