VOA标准英语2012--For Egypt's Coptic Christians, No Easy Choice

 

For Egypt's Coptic Christians², No Easy Choice

 

It's not easy being Christian¹ in Egypt, a minority among the Sunni Muslim majority. But some times are worse than others. For Amal Beshara, the first moments of 2011 were as bad as they come.

She was at a New Year's church service in Alexandria. Her husband, Magdi, left a few minutes before the end.

She says she heard the explosion when they were still inside. Amal asked what happened and was told, "there are bodies scattered³ everywhere."

Her husband was severely⁴ injured, later succumbing⁵ to his wounds. He was one of 23 people killed in the attack.

The government accused Islamic militants⁶ of the blast, part of a long line of anti-Christian attacks. Copts blamed the government for not protecting them, some going as far as to say Interior Minister Habib el Adly was involved as part of anti-Islamist machinations.

Amal says she heard el Adly was behind the bombing, but notes the case has still not been solved.

Within weeks of the blast, a revolution swept that government from office. But now, a year and half later, Amal is being asked to choose a new president -- either an Islamist or a member of the old government.

The Coptic schoolteacher says she is afraid - afraid the old guard candidate will perpetuate⁷ the old government's ways, and afraid the Islamists will persecute⁸ Christians.

The Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Morsi has promised an inclusive Egypt. The last prime minister under the old guard, Ahmed Shafiq, vows⁹ he will boost security.

Amal Beshara's son, Antwan, who held his father as he lay dying, had hoped for a third way.

He had wished there would have been a candidate of the revolution, someone with no ties to the past. He wanted leftist Hamdeen Sabahi, but is resigned to the candidates running.

It is a hard choice, but Antwan, Amal and a majority of Copts are backing Shafiq. His side may have failed to protect Christians, but for the most part, is not the side doing the attacking. 

Professor Said Sadek of the American University in Cairo says Copts are understandably afraid.

“If you have some of those fanatics¹⁰ all the time targeting them, how are you going to protect them? And, we have many experiences in Egypt of minorities leaving the country because of political conditions. Look what happened to the Egyptian Jews,” he said.

Sadek says his Coptic friends are weighing if they too will leave. Not Amal. Egypt is where her husband is buried. It is her country. Despite everything, she wishes it well. 

She says regardless of who wins -- "whether it is the old regime or the Islamist" -- she hopes it will be good for Egypt and that there will be peace. 

 

1 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。

2 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

3 scattered   

adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的

参考例句：

• Gathering up his scattered papers,he pushed them into his case.他把散乱的文件收拾起来，塞进文件夹里。

4 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

5 succumbing   

不再抵抗（诱惑、疾病、攻击等）( succumb的现在分词 )； 屈从； 被压垮； 死

参考例句：

• Mrs. Smith washed and ironed clothes for him, succumbing to him. 史密斯太太被他迷住了，愿意为他洗衣烫衣。
• They would not in the end abandon their vital interests by succumbing to Soviet blandishment. 他们最终决不会受苏联人的甜言蜜语的诱惑，从而抛弃自己的切身利益。

6 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

7 perpetuate   

v.使永存，使永记不忘

参考例句：

• This monument was built to perpetuate the memory of the national hero.这个纪念碑建造的意义在于纪念民族英雄永垂不朽。
• We must perpetuate the system.我们必须将此制度永久保持。

8 persecute   

vt.迫害，虐待；纠缠，骚扰

参考例句：

• They persecute those who do not conform to their ideas.他们迫害那些不信奉他们思想的人。
• Hitler's undisguised effort to persecute the Jews met with worldwide condemnation.希特勒对犹太人的露骨迫害行为遭到世界人民的谴责。

9 vows   

誓言( vow的名词复数 )； 郑重宣布，许愿

参考例句：

• Matrimonial vows are to show the faithfulness of the new couple. 婚誓体现了新婚夫妇对婚姻的忠诚。
• The nun took strait vows. 那位修女立下严格的誓愿。

10 fanatics   

狂热者，入迷者( fanatic的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The heathen temple was torn down by a crowd of religions fanatics. 异教徒的神殿被一群宗教狂热分子拆除了。
• Placing nukes in the hands of baby-faced fanatics? 把核弹交给一些宗教狂热者手里？