VOA慢速英语--美国穆斯林市长谈及宗教与宽容

AS IT IS 2016-07-05 Muslim American Mayor Talks Religion & Tolerance 美国穆斯林市长谈及宗教与宽容

Mohamed Khairullah describes himself as “an American mayor who happens to be Muslim.”

Khairullah was born in Syria. He settled in the small American community of Prospect¹ Park, New Jersey² when he was 16 years old.

He was always interested in politics and decided³ to seek elected office after becoming a U.S. citizen in 2001. He won a seat on the Prospect Park City Council and has served as mayor for 10 years.

Khairullah says his religion has never been much of an issue for voters in this town of 6,000 people.

“Despite our differences, we don’t attack each other based on religion or ethnicity, you know? Our ethnicity is for us, for our families, for people we are raised with. And our religion is in the house of worship. That’s where it goes.”

He says his religious beliefs provide a basic moral foundation.

“I don’t impose my religion when it comes to running the town. But my religion imposes on me the moral values that I operate with...”

His term in office lasts until the end of 2018. The mayor is not seeking re-election this year, but two council members are. So he spends some of his time campaigning for them. He likes to communicate with Prospect Park residents by telephone and through social media.

Khairullah once worked as a teacher. Intashan Cowdhury, a former student of his, describes him as a dedicated⁴ family man.

“It’s a family-oriented community. And you need family-oriented people, like Mayor Khairullah.”

Another former student, Priscilla Nunez, said he has good demeanor⁵ to be a teacher as well as mayor.

“He’s very calm, I have to say, reminds me of my dad. Always spoke⁶ to us with respect...”

While Khairullah seems at ease in his job as a politician, he has not forgotten his Syrian roots. He has visited Syria several times over the years. He says the trips were made to take food and medical supplies to people in need.

“It’s a challenge to the dictator and to people who support that dictator that despite all of the dangers, we are going to continue to support those people who have been abandoned by the international community and the world.”

He involves his children in the humanitarian⁷ projects. He says he wants to teach them that humanity is more important than ethnicity or religious beliefs.

Khairullah has come a long way since arriving as a young man and having no idea he would someday be mayor of the town. But he still remembers an early hint at his political future.

“I remember walking to high school here and seeing a sign that has an Arabic name on it, a political sign. I’m like, ‘Wow, this is crazy, amazing.’ So it planted a seed in my head.”

Words in This Story

city council – n. a group of people who make and change the laws of a city

worship – n. the act of showing respect and love for a god

foundation – n. something that provides support for something

demeanor – n. a person’s appearance and behavior

abandoned – n. left alone without needed protection or care

1 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

2 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

3 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

4 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

5 demeanor   

n.行为；风度

参考例句：

• She is quiet in her demeanor.她举止文静。
• The old soldier never lost his military demeanor.那个老军人从来没有失去军人风度。

6 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

7 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。