VOA标准英语2014--Copts in Diaspora Worry About Future in Egypt

 

Copts in Diaspora Worry About Future in Egypt

Around 10 percent of Egypt’s population belong to the Coptic faith, making them the largest Christian¹ minority in the Middle East.  But they have become targets of violence since the revolution three years ago. With elections scheduled for May and the struggle between the Egyptian military and Islamists continuing, many Copts abroad are deeply worried about the future of their ancient church.

The Coptic faith is reputed to be as old as Christianity itself. And its rituals are as elaborate, as they are timeless.

Paul Girguis is an American-born priest at St. Mark's Coptic Orthodox church in suburban² Washington.

Since the beginning, he says, Copts have known suffering.

“There was an emperor that said, ‘I’m going to massacre³ the Christians⁴ until the blood in the streets reaches to the knees of my horse," said Girguis.

Copts are enduring what some call their latest pogrom since the Egyptian revolution three years ago.

Scores of churches were destroyed in a rampage last August - and Copts report regular intimidation⁵.

Sandy Salamon was out in Cairo with her mother and aunt.

“I’m not veiled. So, I’m walking down, clearly a Christian, clearly not a conservative Muslim by any means. The looks, the language, even the body language is very threatening body language with the closeness of people who are interacting with you," said Salamon.

Mary Sameh George, reportedly murdered by a mob on March 28 because she had a cross, is being memorialized on expatriate websites.

Salamon says the gender⁶ violence is meant to humiliate⁷ Copts.

“It’s a weapon that - when that piece of your humanity is attacked, it’s very hard to think about a bigger picture. It’s very hard to fight back," she said.

The future may look bright in St. Mark's oversubscribed Sunday school.  But the outlook for Copts back in Egypt - if the world just passively watches - upsets Adel Messeh.

“You want to end up with a Middle East with no Christians?  The area [that was] the origin of the thiree major religions? asked Messeh.

It’s a fear that’s in the back of many of their minds.

But as they complement⁸ their ancient rites⁹ with American-style revival¹⁰ worship, hope is not lost.

“The Coptic people are a very resilient people," said Girguis.

After all, says Father Girguis, if they survived 20 centuries, they can overcome the hardships of the 21st.

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 suburban   

adj.城郊的，在郊区的

参考例句：

• Suburban shopping centers were springing up all over America. 效区的商业中心在美国如雨后春笋般地兴起。
• There's a lot of good things about suburban living.郊区生活是有许多优点。

3 massacre   

n.残杀，大屠杀；v.残杀，集体屠杀

参考例句：

• There was a terrible massacre of villagers here during the war.在战争中，这里的村民惨遭屠杀。
• If we forget the massacre,the massacre will happen again!忘记了大屠杀，大屠杀就有可能再次发生！

4 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。

5 intimidation   

n.恐吓，威胁

参考例句：

• The Opposition alleged voter intimidation by the army.反对党声称投票者受到军方的恐吓。
• The gang silenced witnesses by intimidation.恶帮用恐吓的手段使得证人不敢说话。

6 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。

7 humiliate   

v.使羞辱，使丢脸[同]disgrace

参考例句：

• What right had they to bully and humiliate people like this?凭什么把人欺侮到这个地步呢？
• They pay me empty compliments which only humiliate me.他们虚情假意地恭维我，这只能使我感到羞辱。

8 complement   

n.补足物，船上的定员；补语；vt.补充，补足

参考例句：

• The two suggestions complement each other.这两条建议相互补充。
• They oppose each other also complement each other.它们相辅相成。

9 rites   

仪式，典礼( rite的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• to administer the last rites to sb 给某人举行临终圣事
• He is interested in mystic rites and ceremonies. 他对神秘的仪式感兴趣。

10 revival   

n.复兴，复苏，（精力、活力等的）重振

参考例句：

• The period saw a great revival in the wine trade.这一时期葡萄酒业出现了很大的复苏。
• He claimed the housing market was showing signs of a revival.他指出房地产市场正出现复苏的迹象。