2006年VOA标准英语-Cartoon Controversy Over Prophet Mohammed

By Kathie Scarrah
Washington, DC
06 February 2006
 
watch Cartoon Furor¹ report
 

Cartoon Furor Protesters  
  
Protests have continued throughout the Muslim world over the publication of caricatures of the prophet Mohammed.  Although the drawings were first published in Denmark last September, several newspapers recently reprinted the cartoons, which renewed anger in Muslim communities. 

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Emotions run high in the Muslim world over cartoons that show a caricature: a distorted drawing or image ridiculing² the prophet Mohammed.  Islamic law forbids depictions of the prophet, even positive images, in order to prevent idolatry.

Professor Akbar Ahmed of American University in Washington, D.C. says the uproar³ highlights the tension between religious tolerance⁴ and freedom of speech.  

Professor Akbar Ahmed   
  
"In a sense you 're seeing an irresistible⁵ force, the Muslims, and an immovable object, that is the principle of freedom of expression in the West.  And these two are clashing.  You saw it earlier with the Salman Rushdie crisis when he wrote the "Satanic Verses" over a decade ago and you had the reaction by the Muslims,” said the professor.  “And in a sense you're seeing a resonance⁶ and echo of the same kind of crisis where two cultures, as it were, are in conflict and clash.  And in some sense not understanding the sensitivities of each other.  Muslims need to be much more sensitive to how the West functions.  And the West must understand how Muslims responds to religiosity to the Devine and to theology itself."

The cartoons sparked threats of kidnapping against westerners in the Palestinian territories and the boycott⁷ of Danish products in parts of the Middle East.  

Anders Fogh Rasmussen   
  
On Friday, Danish Prime Minister Anders Rasmussen hosted a meeting in Copenhagen with more than 70 ambassadors including those from predominately Muslim nations.

"The Danish government is taking the protests and the threats very seriously,” said the prime minister. “We are working with our friends and partners in the Muslim world and beyond to calm the situation."

Mr. Rasmussen fears tensions will grow as more newspapers reprint the cartoons.  In the United States, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack defended freedom of expression, but condemned⁸ the publication of the cartoons. 

"We find them offensive. We understand why others may find them offensive. We have urged tolerance and understanding. All of that said, the media organizations are going to have to make their own decisions concerning what is printed. It's not for the U.S. government to dictate⁹ what is printed."

Angry demonstrations¹⁰ were held in Indonesia, Bangladesh, Malaysia and several other predominantly Muslim nations protesting the cartoons.  

President Musharraf  (file photo)   
  
In Pakistan, President Musharraf expressed outrage¹¹, saying there was no way to justify¹² the publication of the cartoons.  In Pakistan, insulting the prophet Mohammed is punishable by death.

Professor Ahmed, who was the Pakistan Ambassador to the United Kingdom, called on Western and Muslim nations to be more sensitive to each other's cultures.

"Understanding that the world we're living in is a world which is mixed up, it's a kind of salad bowl of cultures.  And if we are to live with some harmony, we need to respect each other.  If we don't do this, then what you're going to see is emotional people, angry people, who will do something stupid, something violent and you'll have a chain reaction on both sides".

European leaders, hoping to calm anger throughout the continent have denounced the cartoons as tasteless and disrespectful.  Some have also defended the right of free speech of the newspapers. 

1 furor   

n.狂热；大骚动

参考例句：

• His choice of words created quite a furor.他的措辞引起了相当大的轰动。
• The half hour lecture caused an enormous furor.那半小时的演讲引起了极大的轰动。

2 ridiculing   

v.嘲笑，嘲弄，奚落( ridicule的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Proxmire has made himself quite a reputation out of ridiculing government expenditure he disagrees with. 普罗克斯迈尔对于他不同意花的政府开支总要取笑一番，他因此而名声大振。 来自辞典例句
• The demonstrators put on skits ridiculing the aggressors. 游行的人上演了活报剧来讽刺侵略者。 来自互联网

3 uproar   

n.骚动，喧嚣，鼎沸

参考例句：

• She could hear the uproar in the room.她能听见房间里的吵闹声。
• His remarks threw the audience into an uproar.他的讲话使听众沸腾起来。

4 tolerance   

n.宽容；容忍，忍受；耐药力；公差

参考例句：

• Tolerance is one of his strengths.宽容是他的一个优点。
• Human beings have limited tolerance of noise.人类对噪音的忍耐力有限。

5 irresistible   

adj.非常诱人的，无法拒绝的，无法抗拒的

参考例句：

• The wheel of history rolls forward with an irresistible force.历史车轮滚滚向前，势不可挡。
• She saw an irresistible skirt in the store window.她看见商店的橱窗里有一条叫人着迷的裙子。

6 resonance   

n.洪亮；共鸣；共振

参考例句：

• Playing the piano sets up resonance in those glass ornaments.一弹钢琴那些玻璃饰物就会产生共振。
• The areas under the two resonance envelopes are unequal.两个共振峰下面的面积是不相等的。

7 boycott   

n./v.(联合)抵制，拒绝参与

参考例句：

• We put the production under a boycott.我们联合抵制该商品。
• The boycott lasts a year until the Victoria board permitsreturn.这个抗争持续了一年直到维多利亚教育局妥协为止。

8 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

9 dictate   

v.口授；(使)听写；指令，指示，命令

参考例句：

• It took him a long time to dictate this letter.口述这封信花了他很长时间。
• What right have you to dictate to others?你有什么资格向别人发号施令？

10 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

11 outrage   

n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒

参考例句：

• When he heard the news he reacted with a sense of outrage.他得悉此事时义愤填膺。
• We should never forget the outrage committed by the Japanese invaders.我们永远都不应该忘记日本侵略者犯下的暴行。

12 justify   

vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护

参考例句：

• He tried to justify his absence with lame excuses.他想用站不住脚的借口为自己的缺席辩解。
• Can you justify your rude behavior to me?你能向我证明你的粗野行为是有道理的吗？