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(单词翻译)
Kuwait Women Gain Vote
科威特妇女获得投票权
Since the end of the 1991 Persian Gulf1 War, Kuwait has celebrated2 February 26 as its "Liberation Day," marking the defeat of its Iraqi occupiers. Kuwait's women now say they have a second "Liberation Day," May 16, when the country's National Assembly voted 35 to 23 with one abstention to enfranchise3 women.
To the women of Kuwait, the two "liberation days" are linked. Political activist5 Rola Dashti, a member of the Kuwait Economic Society, says their struggle for political equality gained momentum6 during and just after Iraq's occupation.
Rola Dashti: We felt after liberation that we deserved better because every time the country called for anything from its citizens when it was occupied, the women were at the forefront serving their country. And we expected that we should have it [political rights.]
But Kuwaiti women who pushed then for political equality were rebuffed by lawmakers who championed tradition over fillness. Then, in 1999, Kuwait's head of state, Emir Sheikh Jaber al-Sabah, issued a decree calling on the National Assembly to grant women the right to vote. But a powerful coalition7 of tribal8 interests and Islamists rejected it. Many Kuwaiti women were infuriated, especially those prominent in business, government and society.
But Sheikh Jaber did not forget Kuwait's women. Recently, he once again called on the National Assembly to pass a measure enfranchising9 women. As Foad Ajami at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, DC observes, the Emir also put political muscle behind his wishes.
Foad Ajami: The fundamental difference is the pressure the government applied10 this time around. It didn't stand aside and let the contending forces play out - the intellectuals and the civil society and the Kuwait city people versus11 the Islamists and the tribes and the people in the hinterlands of Kuwait. This time, the government chose to push for the franchise4 of women.
American University of Kuwait President Shaffiq Ghabra says a member of the Emir's family put direct pressure on lawmakers.
Shaffiq Ghabra: Sheikh Sabah, the prime minister, worked in a very intelligent way: pushing and pulling, convincing parliamentarians, providing all kinds of pressures in order to get that vote moving.
When women's political rights came up for a vote on May 16th, Badrias Darweesh at The Kuwait Times newspaper says the unified12 support of the ruling al-Sabah family, which holds many Cabinet posts, made the critical difference in passing the bill.
Badrias Darweesh: We didn't get a majority, if you exclude the ministers. Don't forget [that] among the 35 [yes votes], there are 15 ministers in the cabinet. They were asked by Sheikh Sabah to vote 'yes.' So if you take these out, we had 20 parliamentarians with us.
With the passage of the bill granting women the vote and the opportunity to run as political candidates, activists13 such as Rola Dashti say that while mindful of Islamic beliefs, they now plan to bring a full slate14 of issues to the National Assembly.
Rola Dashti: We do have things that are restricted by Sharia [Islamic] law which we will not deviate15 from, but there is a lot of civil law which women will be changing in terms of divorces and marriages. But more importantly, there are more social issues like employment, education and issues of economic resources. So, there are issues that women will be bringing to the table.
Analysts16 note that as many as 200,000 women could register to vote, many more than the roughly 135,000 men entitled to cast ballots18. But Badria Darweesh at The Kuwait Times warns that some women will still be pressured by traditions, at least in the beginning, to vote as others tell them to.
Badria Darweesh: Some of them, yes, are going to 'go tribal' because they will be pushed by their tribes and their families. And we cannot deny that we're living in a tribal society.
But Ms. Darweesh says that should change when women realize that the secret ballot17 means they can vote as they like regardless of family or tribal wishes.
While Kuwait has joined neighboring Persian Gulf states Bahrain, Qatar, and Oman in granting women the right to vote, Kuwait's move came because of direct intervention19 by the country's top leadership. The Islamist groups and tribes that opposed it have not changed their position. Many analysts say because the enfranchisement20 of women is not universally accepted in Kuwaiti society, even among some women, this change in the country's social order may be a source of friction21 for years to come.
For focus, I’m Jeffrey Young.
注释:
abstention [Eb5stenF(E)n] n. 放弃;弃权
enfranchise [in5frAntFaiz] vt. 给予选举权
momentum [mEu5mentEm] n. 动力
rebuff [ri5bQf] v. 回绝
champion [5tFAmpjEn] vt. 拥护,支持
decree [di5kri:] n. 法令,政令
infuriate [in5fjuErieit] vt. 激怒
intellectual [7inti5lektjuEl] n. 知识分子
hinterland [5hintElAnd] n. 内地,穷乡僻壤
parliamentarian [5pB:lEmen5teEriEn] n. 议事法规专家,国会议员
deviate [5di:vieit] vi. 背离,偏离
Qatar [5kB:tEr] n. 卡塔尔
Oman [Eu5mB:n] n. 阿曼(阿拉伯东南部沿海地区)
1 gulf | |
n.海湾;深渊,鸿沟;分歧,隔阂 | |
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2 celebrated | |
adj.有名的,声誉卓著的 | |
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3 enfranchise | |
v.给予选举权,解放 | |
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4 franchise | |
n.特许,特权,专营权,特许权 | |
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5 activist | |
n.活动分子,积极分子 | |
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6 momentum | |
n.动力,冲力,势头;动量 | |
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7 coalition | |
n.结合体,同盟,结合,联合 | |
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8 tribal | |
adj.部族的,种族的 | |
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9 enfranchising | |
v.给予选举权( enfranchise的现在分词 );(从奴隶制中)解放 | |
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10 applied | |
adj.应用的;v.应用,适用 | |
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11 versus | |
prep.以…为对手,对;与…相比之下 | |
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12 unified | |
(unify 的过去式和过去分词); 统一的; 统一标准的; 一元化的 | |
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13 activists | |
n.(政治活动的)积极分子,活动家( activist的名词复数 ) | |
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14 slate | |
n.板岩,石板,石片,石板色,候选人名单;adj.暗蓝灰色的,含板岩的;vt.用石板覆盖,痛打,提名,预订 | |
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15 deviate | |
v.(from)背离,偏离 | |
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16 analysts | |
分析家,化验员( analyst的名词复数 ) | |
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17 ballot | |
n.(不记名)投票,投票总数,投票权;vi.投票 | |
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18 ballots | |
n.投票表决( ballot的名词复数 );选举;选票;投票总数v.(使)投票表决( ballot的第三人称单数 ) | |
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19 intervention | |
n.介入,干涉,干预 | |
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20 enfranchisement | |
选举权 | |
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21 friction | |
n.摩擦,摩擦力 | |
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