VOA标准英语2013--US Muslims Make Adjustments for Ramadan美国穆斯林斋月进行调整

 

US Muslims Make Adjustments for Ramadan 美国穆斯林斋月进行调整

FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA —美国雇主在斋月进行调整以照顾穆斯林的宗教习俗.

Sami Malek has been fasting from dawn to dusk since the start of Ramadan. As a waiter at a popular Middle Eastern restaurant and market, he is constantly surrounded by the sight and smell of food and drink. But that hasn’t tempted¹ the 23-year-old graduate student to deviate² from his faith.

“When I make good service and people are enjoying the food, I feel happy,” he said. “When people tell me ‘It’s good food, I like it, it’s very delicious,’ I feel good.”

Malek is observing his first Ramadan in the U.S. since arriving from Algeria less than a year ago. He said it’s about mind over matter.

“If you want to do Ramadan, you do it, and you have to do it because you are Muslim,” he said. “Usually the first day is hard; first day, second day, but after that, it’s like habituation.”

Malek is fortunate to have his employer's support. Imad Rababeh, manager of the Mount of Lebanon restaurant where Malek works, tries to make accommodations for all his Muslim employees.

“To start off, I give them frequent breaks throughout the entire day to go pray,” he said. “I pretty much give them all the time to eat at Iftar time and they have frequent breaks throughout the day and if they get tired I allow them to sit.”

Rababeh is not alone. There are a few other employers that also try to accommodate the religious needs of their Muslim employees.

Rizwan Jaka, a board member of the All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS), the largest mosque³ in the Washington, D.C. area, said the American corporation that he works for has been very respectful of him as a Muslim.

“When the Muslims who work in our company are having their daily prayers they provide us space for prayer so that we can have a quiet place to pray, and that’s year round," he said. "And then, beyond that in the month of Ramadan when we’re fasting, the company is very respectful of that as well…Like if there’s a team lunch, instead of having a team lunch we’ll have a team dinner after sunset.”

Imam Johari, director of outreach at the Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center outside Washington, said Ramadan is not supposed to be a hardship.  

“It is meant for people who are mature, who are healthy,” he explained. “But if you’re pregnant or you’re sick or you’re on a journey, or you’re elderly or you’re a minor⁴, you are not obligated to fast.”

But there are challenges. Twenty-year-old Muntasir Sarsour points to things that are not always within his control.

“You can’t get away from immodest girls unless you live in a cave. That’s not going to happen,” he said. “But you just try your best to lower your gaze and keep on moving.”

“There’s difficulties and distractions⁵ everywhere, especially in this society here in America,” added his friend Junaid Khan. “You can’t always rely on God to do everything for you. So personally, inside of your heart, you have to try your best.” 

1 tempted   

v.怂恿（某人）干不正当的事；冒…的险（tempt的过去分词）

参考例句：

• I was sorely tempted to complain, but I didn't. 我极想发牢骚，但还是没开口。
• I was tempted by the dessert menu. 甜食菜单馋得我垂涎欲滴。

2 deviate   

v.(from)背离，偏离

参考例句：

• Don't deviate from major issues.不要偏离主要问题。
• I will never deviate from what I believe to be right.我绝不背离我自信正确的道路。

3 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。

4 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

5 distractions   

n.使人分心的事[人]( distraction的名词复数 )；娱乐，消遣；心烦意乱；精神错乱

参考例句：

• I find it hard to work at home because there are too many distractions. 我发觉在家里工作很难，因为使人分心的事太多。
• There are too many distractions here to work properly. 这里叫人分心的事太多，使人无法好好工作。 来自《简明英汉词典》