2007年VOA标准英语-Secular Turks Stage Mass Anti-Government Rally

By Amberin Zaman
Istanbul
13 May 2007

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Demonstrators attend a rally in support of secularism in Izmir, western coastal city of Turkey, 13 May 2007

Tens of thousands of secular¹ Turks massed in the Aegean port city of Izmir Sunday to protest Turkey's Islamic-rooted government, led by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The rally is the latest in a wave of pro-secular protests ahead of key parliamentary elections scheduled for July 22. From Istanbul, Amberin Zaman has details for VOA.

Singing nationalist anthems⁴ and waving Turkish flags, tens of thousands of Turks, many of them women, marched towards Izmir's Republic square Sunday to protest Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government. Yachts, fishing boats and other vessels⁵ flying the Turkish national flag sailed in Izmir harbor in a show of support.

Turkey's pro-secular heart beats strong in Izmir, the only large city that Mr. Erdogan's Justice and Development Party has failed to capture in municipal elections.

Animosity to his government was evident in the placards carried by demonstrators. One read "Erdogan is lethal⁶." There were also many anti-American and anti-European Union banners, evidence of mounting anti-Western sentiment that is shared by religious and secular Turks alike.

Mr. Erdogan is a former Islamist, who says he no longer believes in mixing religion with politics. But many pro-secular Turks accuse the prime minister of harboring a secret Islamist agenda. Tensions escalated⁷ when Mr. Erdogan nominated his foreign minister Abdullah Gul to replace President Ahmet Necdet Sezer last month.

In a dramatic move, the country's fiercely pro-secular military joined the debate by issuing a statement warning of the threats posed by spreading Islamic militancy⁸. Bowing to a legal challenge from the opposition⁹, Gul withdrew his candidacy and the prime minister called parliamentary elections on July 22, far ahead of their scheduled November 4 date.

Mr. Erdogan inaugurated his electoral campaign with a rally in the Eastern province of Erzurum, which drew tens of thousands of supporters.

The defiant¹⁰ prime minister said the ballot¹¹ boxes would show who the Turkish people really favored.

Mr. Erdogan accused the opposition of lying to the people, saying that during his 4.5 years in power his government had done nothing to alter Turkey's secular system.

Opinion polls indicate that Mr. Erdogan's party may win 40 percent of the vote, far ahead of its closest rival Deniz Baykal and his pro-secular Republican People's Party, which according to the same survey would get 25 percent of the vote.

1 secular   

n.牧师，凡人；adj.世俗的，现世的，不朽的

参考例句：

• We live in an increasingly secular society.我们生活在一个日益非宗教的社会。
• Britain is a plural society in which the secular predominates.英国是个世俗主导的多元社会。

2 secularism   

n.现世主义；世俗主义；宗教与教育分离论；政教分离论

参考例句：

• Unless are devoted to God, secularism shall not leave us. 除非我们奉献于神，否则凡俗之心便不会离开我们。 来自互联网
• They are no longer a huge threat to secularism. 他们已不再是民主的巨大威胁。 来自互联网

3 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

4 anthems   

n.赞美诗( anthem的名词复数 )；圣歌；赞歌；颂歌

参考例句：

• They usually play the national anthems of the teams at the beginning of a big match. 在大型赛事开始前，他们通常演奏参赛国国歌。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Rise please, rise for the anthems of & . 请全体起立，奏和两国国歌。 来自互联网

5 vessels   

n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人

参考例句：

• The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 lethal   

adj.致死的；毁灭性的

参考例句：

• A hammer can be a lethal weapon.铁锤可以是致命的武器。
• She took a lethal amount of poison and died.她服了致命剂量的毒药死了。

7 escalated   

v.（使）逐步升级( escalate的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）逐步扩大；（使）更高；（使）更大

参考例句：

• The fighting escalated into a full-scale war. 这场交战逐步扩大为全面战争。
• The demonstration escalated into a pitched battle with the police. 示威逐步升级，演变成了一场同警察的混战。

8 militancy   

n.warlike behavior or tendency

参考例句：

• Full of militancy and revolutionary ardour, the people of all nationalities in the country are working hard for the realization of the four modernizations. 全国各族人民意气风发， 斗志昂扬，为实现四个现代化而奋战。
• The seniority system is another factor that leads to union militancy. 排资论辈制度也是导致工会好斗争的另一因素。

9 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

10 defiant   

adj.无礼的，挑战的

参考例句：

• With a last defiant gesture,they sang a revolutionary song as they were led away to prison.他们被带走投入监狱时，仍以最后的反抗姿态唱起了一支革命歌曲。
• He assumed a defiant attitude toward his employer.他对雇主采取挑衅的态度。

11 ballot   

n.（不记名）投票，投票总数，投票权；vi.投票

参考例句：

• The members have demanded a ballot.会员们要求投票表决。
• The union said they will ballot members on whether to strike.工会称他们将要求会员投票表决是否罢工。