2006年VOA标准英语-Kenya's Muslim Leaders Will Not Cooperate in Wa

By Alisha Ryu
Nairobi
27 November 2006

Kenya

Muslim leaders in Kenya are warning the government against allowing foreign militaries to use Kenya as a staging ground for war against Islamists in neighboring Somalia. VOA Correspondent Alisha Ryu has details from our East Africa Bureau in Nairobi.

Kenyan Islamic leaders meeting in Nairobi say they believe the country is in danger of being dragged into the brewing¹ conflict in neighboring Somalia and becoming another front in the U.S.-led war on terror.

The secretary general of the Council of Imams and Preachers of Kenya, Sheikh Muhammad Dor, tells VOA that Muslim leaders here are particularly concerned over reports they are hearing of tanks cited near the Ethiopian and Somali border, leading to speculation² the Kenyan government may have allowed Ethiopia to move some of their heavy armored vehicles to the Somali border through towns in northern Kenya.

"What we are saying is that we have eyewitnesses³, who saw military tanks. The tanks were in Mandera, Isiolo, Moyale and Garissa. This is not rumor," he said.

Moyale and Mandera are right on Kenya's border with Ethiopia. Isiola and Garissa are several hundred kilometers south of the Ethiopian border and far from the Somali border.

The sheikh acknowledges he cannot confirm that the tanks seen in northern Kenya belonged to the Ethiopian military, or that they were being deployed⁴ to battle Somalia's powerful Islamist forces.

Kenyan government officials vehemently⁵ deny that the country is being used for military activity against Somali Islamists, and have cautioned the Muslim leaders here from making statements the government says are "unpatriotic" and "unhelpful" to the situation in Somalia.

Since Islamists seized the Somali capital in June and began consolidating⁶ their power throughout southern and central Somalia, Ethiopia has accused leaders of the movement of being extremists with ties to terrorist groups.

Ethiopia admits that it has sent several hundred military advisors⁷ to support Somalia's secular⁸, but weak interim⁹ government, which has its headquarters in the town of Baidoa. But it has steadfastly¹⁰ denied Islamist and U.N. claims that Addis Ababa has deployed thousands of combat troops in Somalia to protect the government from being toppled.

The Islamists have declared a holy war on Ethiopia, which is more than half Muslim and has a Christian¹¹ leadership.

The Kenyan Muslim leader says Muslims in Kenya will not allow their country to be used in what he describes as "Christian plans" to attack Somalia to discredit¹² and destroy the growing Islamist movement there.

"We will never support a Christian country, or a Christian army to fight against our Muslim brothers," said Dor. "We will not say how we are going to protect our Muslim brothers in Somalia, if any foreign country passes in Kenya. But we are telling you, we will definitely protect our Muslim brothers. Definitely."

Muslims make up about a quarter of Kenya's predominantly Christian population of nearly 36 million.

Since the September 11, 2001, attacks in the United States, tensions between Kenyan Muslims and Christians¹³ have been rising steadily¹⁴, amid Muslim complaints of harassment¹⁵ and intimidation¹⁶ in the country's official efforts to combat terrorism.

1 brewing   

n. 酿造, 一次酿造的量 动词brew的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• It was obvious that a big storm was brewing up. 很显然，一场暴风雨正在酝酿中。
• She set about brewing some herb tea. 她动手泡一些药茶。

2 speculation   

n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机

参考例句：

• Her mind is occupied with speculation.她的头脑忙于思考。
• There is widespread speculation that he is going to resign.人们普遍推测他要辞职。

3 eyewitnesses   

目击者( eyewitness的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The examination of all the eyewitnesses took a week. 对所有证人的质询用了一周的时间。
• Several eyewitnesses testified that they saw the officers hit Miller in the face. 几位目击证人证明他们看见那几个警官打了米勒的脸。

4 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

5 vehemently   

adv. 热烈地

参考例句：

• He argued with his wife so vehemently that he talked himself hoarse. 他和妻子争论得很激烈，以致讲话的声音都嘶哑了。
• Both women vehemently deny the charges against them. 两名妇女都激烈地否认了对她们的指控。

6 consolidating   

v.（使）巩固， （使）加强( consolidate的现在分词 )；（使）合并

参考例句：

• These measures are meant for consolidating the system of basic medical care. 这些举措旨在夯实基层医疗体系，让老百姓看大病不必出远门。 来自互联网
• We are consolidating the Chinese and English versions of our homepage. 我们将为您提供中英文版本一起的主页。 来自互联网

7 advisors   

n.顾问，劝告者( advisor的名词复数 )；（指导大学新生学科问题等的）指导教授

参考例句：

• The governors felt that they were being strung along by their advisors. 地方长官感到他们一直在受顾问们的愚弄。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• We will consult together with advisors about her education. 我们将一起和专家商议她的教育事宜。 来自互联网

8 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。

9 interim   

adj.暂时的，临时的；n.间歇，过渡期间

参考例句：

• The government is taking interim measures to help those in immediate need.政府正在采取临时措施帮助那些有立即需要的人。
• It may turn out to be an interim technology.这可能只是个过渡技术。

10 steadfastly   

adv.踏实地，不变地；岿然；坚定不渝

参考例句：

• So he sat, with a steadfastly vacant gaze, pausing in his work. 他就像这样坐着，停止了工作，直勾勾地瞪着眼。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记
• Defarge and his wife looked steadfastly at one another. 德伐日和他的妻子彼此凝视了一会儿。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

11 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

12 discredit   

vt.使不可置信；n.丧失信义；不信，怀疑

参考例句：

• Their behaviour has bought discredit on English football.他们的行为败坏了英国足球运动的声誉。
• They no longer try to discredit the technology itself.他们不再试图怀疑这种技术本身。

13 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

14 steadily   

adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地

参考例句：

• The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。
• Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。

15 harassment   

n.骚扰，扰乱，烦恼，烦乱

参考例句：

• She often got telephone harassment at night these days.这些天她经常在夜晚受到电话骚扰。
• The company prohibits any form of harassment.公司禁止任何形式的骚扰行为。

16 intimidation   

n.恐吓，威胁

参考例句：

• The Opposition alleged voter intimidation by the army.反对党声称投票者受到军方的恐吓。
• The gang silenced witnesses by intimidation.恶帮用恐吓的手段使得证人不敢说话。