2006年VOA标准英语-Italians Order Closure of Arabic School

By Sabina Castelfranco
Rome
13 October 2006

Italian authorities have ordered the closure of an Arabic school in Milan, just three days after it opened. Authorities say the school did not acquire the proper authorization¹.

The school has been a magnet for controversy² for months before it opened, sparking a debate about whether Muslims in Italy should be allowed to open a school that teaches children about Islam.

Despite the protests, the Nagib Mahfuz School opened Monday, without the needed authorization from the regional government. About 130 mainly Egyptian children enrolled³.

Sponsored by the Egyptian consulate⁴, the initiative aims to offer a bilingual education, including two hours study of the Koran a week. The school's directors say they want to promote integration⁵.

The school's director, Lidia Cerboni, says the initiative was the idea of a mixed group of Italians and Egyptians, who wanted a different educational experience, but one that is completely integrated in the neighborhood.

When the school was closed, parents said they could not understand why there was so much controversy over the opening of the school.

Italian authorities say the school was ordered closed, because it lacked the required security standards to guarantee the safety of children and teachers. 

		founder6, Egyptian businessman Mahmoud Othman, poses for a picture at the school in Milan" src="/upimg/allimg/070504/1030520.jpg" width="210" border="0" /> The Naguib Mahfouz School's founder, Egyptian businessman Mahmoud Othman, poses for a picture at the school in Milan

Othman Mahmoud is an Egyptian businessman, who lives in Italy and has three children enrolled in the school.

He says they should have the right to a private school, just like Italians and other foreigners. He does not understand why Arabs and Egyptians cannot have a school, just like Italians have in Egypt or in America.

Mahmoud makes clear the school is not Islamic, or based on the Koran, but 100 percent secular⁷.

But opponents say there is no need for Muslim children to have a separate school, and insist there will be greater integration, if they attend Italian state schools. 

Authorities have not said when the school might be allowed to reopen.

1 authorization   

n.授权，委任状

参考例句：

• Anglers are required to obtain prior authorization from the park keeper.垂钓者必须事先得到公园管理者的许可。
• You cannot take a day off without authorization.未经批准你不得休假。

2 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

3 enrolled   

adj.入学登记了的v.[亦作enrol]( enroll的过去式和过去分词 )；登记，招收，使入伍（或入会、入学等），参加，成为成员；记入名册；卷起，包起

参考例句：

• They have been studying hard from the moment they enrolled. 从入学时起，他们就一直努力学习。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He enrolled with an employment agency for a teaching position. 他在职业介绍所登了记以谋求一个教师的职位。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 consulate   

n.领事馆

参考例句：

• The Spanish consulate is the large white building opposite the bank.西班牙领事馆是银行对面的那栋高大的白色建筑物。
• The American consulate was a magnificent edifice in the centre of Bordeaux.美国领事馆是位于波尔多市中心的一座宏伟的大厦。

5 integration   

n.一体化，联合，结合

参考例句：

• We are working to bring about closer political integration in the EU.我们正在努力实现欧盟內部更加紧密的政治一体化。
• This was the greatest event in the annals of European integration.这是欧洲统一史上最重大的事件。

6 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

7 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。