VOA常速英语2016--斯林斋月来临 城市为穆斯林延长营业时间

斯林斋月来临 城市为穆斯林延长营业时间

An estimated 200,000 Muslims live in Minnesota. When you walk into the businesses and the neighborhoods where Somalis reside, you would assume you are in a Muslim country. At night, houses of worship are full of people saying the so called the "Taraweeh" prayers identified with Ramadan. Rowda Mosque¹ in Minneapolis is one of the places where worshipers come in masses. Imam Abdirazak Abshir Farah (aka San'ani) talks about the virtues² worshipers must observe during Ramadan. Muslims who are fasting shouldn't only avoid eating and drinking but all evil deeds as well. During Ramadan, people strive to help the poor and the needy³. Farhia Isse Qalanjo is a volunteer from the Minnesota branch of "Walaal Afuri," an organization that helps poor people in Somalia. In Somalia, there are people who have no relatives in foreign countries who send them money and are in dire⁴ needs. We are collecting the money for them. We don't know them but we got their contacts through friends. Jamal Farah (aka Happy Khalif) is a barber at Karmel Somali Mall. He is also a well-known comedian⁵. Since I came to the U.S., I have never cooked food. Maybe, I occasionally make tea for myself. You can find everything in the mall, even there is a buffet⁶ upstairs. It is easy. Last year, the Minneapolis City Council approved a bill that permits Somali businesses to stay open after regular closing hours during the month of Ramadan. The owner of Safari⁷ Restaurant, Abdurahman Abkos believes this came as a result of the prominent role the Somali community plays in the city. To extend the hours of operations during the Holy Month of Ramadan is a recognition of the role of the Somali and the Muslim communities in the city. This year, Ramadan came in the summer season. People fast between 17-18 hours. Some complain about the high temperature and lengthy⁸ hours, but find it spiritually rewarding.

美国的明尼苏达州有近20万穆斯林。商区和商区附近索马里人的居住地感觉就像穆斯林国家一样。晚上的时候，朝圣地会有很多人前来做斋月期间的他那威祷告。斋月期间，穆斯林络绎不绝的祷告胜地之一就是明尼阿波利斯市的Rowda清真寺。伊玛目向我们介绍了斋月期间必须遵守的惯例。进行斋禁的穆斯林不仅不能吃喝，还不能做恶事。斋月期间要尽力帮助生活贫穷的人。索马里有一个专门帮助穷人的组织，叫“Walaal Afuri”，伊斯就是该组织在明尼苏达州分部的一名志愿者。索马里有很多穷人孤苦无依、没有经济来源和外援。我们正在为他们筹钱。虽然我们不认识他们，但是能从朋友们那里知道如何联系他们。

贾马尔是索马里购物中心的一名理发师。同时也是知名喜剧演员。自从我来到美国，我从来没做过饭。有时候可能给自己做点茶点。因为购物中心里什么都有，甚至楼上还有自助餐。吃饭的问题很容易解决。去年，明尼阿波利斯市议会通过一项法案，该法案允许商户在斋月期间延长营业时间。Safari餐厅老板阿卜杜勒拉赫曼认为，议会这样做是因为索马里社区在明尼阿波利斯市的地位越来越重要了。延长斋月期间的营业时间是对该市索马里和穆斯林的一种认可。今年的斋月赶在夏季来到。穆斯林的斋禁时间从17到18小时不等。虽然一些人对高温下的长时间斋禁颇有埋怨，但还是觉得精神上的洗礼十分值得。

1 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。

2 virtues   

美德( virtue的名词复数 )； 德行； 优点； 长处

参考例句：

• Doctors often extol the virtues of eating less fat. 医生常常宣扬少吃脂肪的好处。
• She delivered a homily on the virtues of family life. 她进行了一场家庭生活美德方面的说教。

3 needy   

adj.贫穷的，贫困的，生活艰苦的

参考例句：

• Although he was poor,he was quite generous to his needy friends.他虽穷，但对贫苦的朋友很慷慨。
• They awarded scholarships to needy students.他们给贫苦学生颁发奖学金。

4 dire   

adj.可怕的，悲惨的，阴惨的，极端的

参考例句：

• There were dire warnings about the dangers of watching too much TV.曾经有人就看电视太多的危害性提出严重警告。
• We were indeed in dire straits.But we pulled through.那时我们的困难真是大极了，但是我们渡过了困难。

5 comedian   

n.喜剧演员；滑稽演员

参考例句：

• The comedian tickled the crowd with his jokes.喜剧演员的笑话把人们逗乐了。
• The comedian enjoyed great popularity during the 30's.那位喜剧演员在三十年代非常走红。

6 buffet   

n.自助餐；饮食柜台；餐台

参考例句：

• Are you having a sit-down meal or a buffet at the wedding?你想在婚礼中摆桌宴还是搞自助餐？
• Could you tell me what specialties you have for the buffet?你能告诉我你们的自助餐有什么特色菜吗？

7 safari   

n.远征旅行(探险、考察)；探险队，狩猎队

参考例句：

• When we go on safari we like to cook on an open fire.我们远行狩猎时，喜欢露天生火做饭。
• They went on safari searching for the rare black rhinoceros.他们进行探险旅行，搜寻那稀有的黑犀牛。

8 lengthy   

adj.漫长的，冗长的

参考例句：

• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。
• The professor wrote a lengthy book on Napoleon.教授写了一部有关拿破仑的巨著。