VOA标准英语2014--黎巴嫩什叶派纪念阿舒拉节

 

Lebanese Shi’ites ‘Defiantly' Mark Ashura 黎巴嫩什叶派纪念阿舒拉节

BEIRUT— Lebanese Shi'ite Muslims marked the Ashura religious commemoration in mass rallies Tuesday, mourning the beheading of the grandson of Islam's Prophet Muhammad 13 centuries ago. At a march in Beirut’s southern suburbs, mourners said this year they came out in huge numbers in defiance¹ of Sunni militant² groups that seek to slaughter³ them.

Crowds in this predominantly Shi’ite area wear black as they sit outside in a soft rain, praying and weeping.

Hussain Ibn Ali, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, died more than 1,300 years ago, but the sorrow here is visible. Many people cry into handkerchiefs. Others let tears stream down their faces.

 Rizk Obeid, an electrician, said mourners weep, not just for Hussain Ibn Ali, but for the injustice⁴ that continues today from what he calls “takfiris” towards Shi’ite Muslims.

Takfiri is an Arabic term that has recently become popular, generally referring to Islamist militant groups, like Islamic State and al-Qaida that target other Muslims who don't share their specific beliefs. A takfiri is literally⁵ someone who declares someone else a rejecter of God.

 After prayers, mourners march by the thousands chanting “At Your Service O’ Hussain,” beating their chests. Many carry posters of young men that recently died fighting in Hezbollah's ranks in Syria.

Hezbollah, a Lebanese Shi’ite political party and powerful militia⁶, hosts the Ashura march in Beirut and security is tight, with hundreds - or even thousands - of men guarding every street corner and organizing marchers.   

Mohammed al-Mouktar owns a sandwich and juice shop just off the main road where the people march. He said they came out in large numbers to defy terrorism and oppression.

The terrorists and oppressors, he said, are the self-proclaimed Sunni militant groups that have declared all Shi’ites non-believers, suitable to be killed. Oppressors also include their supporters, he said, expressing his belief that these supporters include countries like the United States and Israel.

Hezbollah's battles

On Monday, Islamic State militants⁷ claimed responsibility for an attack in Karbala, Iraq that killed 23 people. Karbala is where Hussain Ibn Ali died in battle with forces of the Umayyad caliph those centuries ago, and it draws hundreds of thousands of Shi'ite pilgrims each year on Ashura.

In Karbala, and Shi'ite-populated regions through the Middle East to South Asia, Ashura marchers ritually beat themselves with knives and chains to show grief and suffer with Hussain Ibn Ali.

But there was little blood in Beirut at the event’s climax⁸ when Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah began to speak.

In his fiery⁹ speech, Nasrallah declares victory over the Islamic State group, which has taken over vast regions in Syria and Iraq but has failed, as Nasrallah says, to control all of Syria. He also declares his continued support for the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria and warns that Hezbollah has enough rockets to reach all of Israel.

Lebanese people are deeply divided in their opinion of both Nasrallah and Assad, but even rival groups are nearly united against the Islamic State.

As the march draws to a close, mourners say they are glad the event was safe and secure, but even if a bomb had gone off, they would not have stayed home this Ashura.

1 defiance   

n.挑战，挑衅，蔑视，违抗

参考例句：

• He climbed the ladder in defiance of the warning.他无视警告爬上了那架梯子。
• He slammed the door in a spirit of defiance.他以挑衅性的态度把门砰地一下关上。

2 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

3 slaughter   

n.屠杀，屠宰；vt.屠杀，宰杀

参考例句：

• I couldn't stand to watch them slaughter the cattle.我不忍看他们宰牛。
• Wholesale slaughter was carried out in the name of progress.大规模的屠杀在维护进步的名义下进行。

4 injustice   

n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利

参考例句：

• They complained of injustice in the way they had been treated.他们抱怨受到不公平的对待。
• All his life he has been struggling against injustice.他一生都在与不公正现象作斗争。

5 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

6 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

7 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

8 climax   

n.顶点；高潮；v.(使)达到顶点

参考例句：

• The fifth scene was the climax of the play.第五场是全剧的高潮。
• His quarrel with his father brought matters to a climax.他与他父亲的争吵使得事态发展到了顶点。

9 fiery   

adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的

参考例句：

• She has fiery red hair.她有一头火红的头发。
• His fiery speech agitated the crowd.他热情洋溢的讲话激动了群众。