2006年VOA标准英语-Iraq Violence Draws Varying Reactions

By Ben Gilbert
Baghdad
06 January 2006

Iraqi soldiers gathered in the U.S.-protected Green Zone Friday to celebrate Armed Forces Day.  The parades and speeches come one day after suicide bombers¹ in two Iraqi cities killed more than 130 people.  Iraqis are both angry, and resigned, to the seemingly unending cycle of violence.

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The Shi'ite Imam at the Sayid Edriss mosque² in Central Baghdad Friday told a story about how Imam Hussein, a holy figure in Shiite Islam, faced his tormentors with stoicism and grace.

Iraqi police and soldiers at site of a suicide car bombing   
  

In the last five minutes of the sermon, the Imam related the story to the challenges that face Iraqi Shiite Muslims, one day after a suicide attack just outside the shrine³ to Hussein killed dozens in Karbala.

The enemies of freedom, of the constitution, and of righteousness and peace, they don't like this new order in Iraq, he said.  The tyrannical minority, he said, are trying to rule Iraq by fire and iron.

Shi'ite reaction to Thursday's attack has been mixed.  Friday's sermon at the Sayid Edriss mosque did not call for any bloodletting, in line with the restraint Iraq's Shi'ite Spiritual leader, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, has urged in the face of attacks that seem aimed at provoking Shi'ite retaliation⁴.

But Shi'ite political leaders have angrily accused the United States of keeping too tight a leash⁵ on Iraqi Security Forces.   American commanders have attempted to more tightly control the Shi'ite dominated Iraqi Interior Ministry⁶ police forces after they found evidence of illegal detentions⁷, torture and executions.

Some Shi'ite leaders have pledged that if the government can't protect the people, then the people have a right to defend themselves, comments that have been interpreted as a veiled threat to unleash⁸ Shi'ite militias⁹.

Sabah Noori, 50, a Shi'ite interviewed in Baghdad's upscale Karrada neighborhood, said he is not optimistic about the future.

Mr. Noori says it is the responsibility of the Iraqi government to offer security for the people, but right now he says he does not see the government offering security against terrorism.

Meanwhile, funerals were held Friday for many of those killed in the insurgent¹⁰ violence, which also left 11 U.S. troops dead, one of the worst days for U.S. forces since the operation began.

1 bombers   

n.轰炸机( bomber的名词复数 )；投弹手；安非他明胶囊；大麻叶香烟

参考例句：

• Enemy bombers carried out a blitz on the city. 敌军轰炸机对这座城市进行了突袭。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Royal Airforce sill remained dangerously short of bombers. 英国皇家空军仍未脱离极为缺乏轰炸机的危境。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 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。

3 shrine   

n.圣地，神龛，庙；v.将...置于神龛内，把...奉为神圣

参考例句：

• The shrine was an object of pilgrimage.这处圣地是人们朝圣的目的地。
• They bowed down before the shrine.他们在神龛前鞠躬示敬。

4 retaliation   

n.报复，反击

参考例句：

• retaliation against UN workers 对联合国工作人员的报复
• He never said a single word in retaliation. 他从未说过一句反击的话。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 leash   

n.牵狗的皮带，束缚；v.用皮带系住

参考例句：

• I reached for the leash,but the dog got in between.我伸手去拿系狗绳，但被狗挡住了路。
• The dog strains at the leash,eager to be off.狗拼命地扯拉皮带，想挣脱开去。

6 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

7 detentions   

拘留( detention的名词复数 )； 扣押； 监禁； 放学后留校

参考例句：

• Teachers may assign detention tasks as they wish and some detentions have been actually dangerous. 老师可能随心所欲指派关禁闭的形式，有些禁闭事实上很危险。
• Intimidation, beatings and administrative detentions are often enough to prevent them from trying again. 恐吓，拷打和行政拘留足以阻止请愿者二次进京的脚步。

8 unleash   

vt.发泄，发出；解带子放开

参考例句：

• They hope to create allies to unleash against diseases,pests,and invasive species.他们希望创造出一些新群体来对付疾病、害虫和一些有侵害性的物种。
• Changing water levels now at times unleash a miasma of disease from exposed sewage.如今，大坝不时地改变水位，从暴露的污水释放出了疾病瘴气。

9 militias   

n.民兵组织，民兵( militia的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The troops will not attempt to disarm the warring militias. 部队并不打算解除战斗中的民兵武装。 来自辞典例句
• The neighborhood was a battleground for Shiite and Sunni militias. 那里曾是什叶派和逊尼派武装分子的战场。 来自互联网

10 insurgent   

adj.叛乱的，起事的；n.叛乱分子

参考例句：

• Faruk says they are threatened both by insurgent and government forces.法鲁克说，他们受到暴乱分子和政府军队的双重威胁。
• The insurgent mob assembled at the gate of the city park.叛变的暴徒聚在市立公园的门口。