VOA常速英语2008年-Senegal's Islamic Summit Draws Both Praise and

By Uma Ramiah
Dakar
17 March 2008

In the impoverished¹ west African nation of Senegal, delegates from oil-rich Gulf² nations and other Islamic countries have wrapped up a week-long conference. But for many Senegalese, questions remain over whether they will benefit from summit decisions. Uma Ramiah reports from VOA's bureau in the capital, Dakar.

Senegal's president, Abdoulaye Wade³, was jubilant about the success of the Organization of the Islamic Conference meeting, noting the ratification⁴ of a new charter and, on the sidelines, a peace agreement signed between the leaders of Sudan and Chad.

Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Iftekhar Chowdhruy, addressing journalists, highlighted major areas of change to the OIC Charter, which was revised and ratified⁵ for the first time since its creation nearly 40 years ago.

"Our major contributions in the document have been in the areas of poverty alleviation⁶, climate change and social change," said Chowdhruy.

The new charter also calls for member countries to fight extremism and foster dialogue with non-Muslims to fight 'Islamophobia.'

Chowdhruy told reporters he thought it was time for the OIC to take on a more active role in helping⁷ the Islamic community and improving relations with the West.

President Wade has said he hopes to encourage development partnerships⁸ between African members of the OIC and oil-rich Muslim countries. The president hopes that, in solidarity⁹, wealthy members will turn development dollars, typically headed for Western countries, to Africa.

Senegalese Foreign Minister Cheikh Tidiane Gadio called for support for the newly created Islamic Solidarity Fund, not as a charity initiative, but as a mechanism¹⁰ to equalize the wealth of member states through development.

Shahid Malik, a lawmaker and minister for international development and the first Muslim to hold a ministerial role in Britain, came to Dakar to encourage action against poverty.

"In many ways, the main focus of the OIC at the moment is around poverty alleviation," said Malik. "A wonderful phrase from today, a 'Fatwa' against poverty. And, of course my department, the department for international development, its raison d'etre is to eradicate¹¹ poverty and disease right across the world."

"So, I am very much at home here. I think there are some real common objectives, and, by pooling resources and energies, we can be really impactful on the ground, and make a bigger difference than we individually are at the moment," he added.

The Islamic Development Bank has been asked to organize and raise funds for the Islamic Solidarity Fund, and has said it will collect $10 billion.

The OIC conference last week called on member countries to donate generously. As of Friday, $2.6 billion had been confirmed as having been donated. But this was the amount that was reported as being in the fund even before the summit started.

Mamadou Barry, a high ranking official in the Senegalese socialist¹² opposition¹³ party in Senegal, says he thinks the conference was a positive step forward for Muslims. Though he supports the creation of the Islamic Solidarity Fund, he says he will wait for results to celebrate.

"The raising up of $10 billion to help African countries, especially the Sub-Saharan countries, I think this is a very good thing," said Barry. "That is something that we welcome, and we are looking forward to seeing it being applied¹⁴. But let us see what will really happen. It is going to take a little time before they get that money probably. But it will be overall a good thing for African countries to have access to those funds, to sustain development."

Many Senegalese citizens say they think they will not benefit directly.

Money donated for the conference by rich Arab nations, including Saudi Arabia and Egypt was used for construction all over Dakar, and many people here say they doubt the summit will improve their lives in any way. They say the new roads are just for the wealthy few who own cars.

In Dakar, enormous posters celebrating the OIC and welcoming heads of state were defaced during the past few days. One billboard¹⁵ on a main Dakar road is scrawled¹⁶ with graffiti. Over President Wade's face one sees the words, "We are hungry."

1 impoverished   

adj.穷困的，无力的，用尽了的v.使（某人）贫穷( impoverish的过去式和过去分词 )；使（某物）贫瘠或恶化

参考例句：

• the impoverished areas of the city 这个城市的贫民区
• They were impoverished by a prolonged spell of unemployment. 他们因长期失业而一贫如洗。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

3 wade   

v.跋涉，涉水；n.跋涉

参考例句：

• We had to wade through the river to the opposite bank.我们只好涉水过河到对岸。
• We cannot but wade across the river.我们只好趟水过去。

4 ratification   

n.批准，认可

参考例句：

• The treaty is awaiting ratification.条约正等待批准。
• The treaty is subject to ratification.此条约经批准后才能生效。

5 ratified   

v.批准，签认（合约等）( ratify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The treaty was declared invalid because it had not been ratified. 条约没有得到批准，因此被宣布无效。
• The treaty was ratified by all the member states. 这个条约得到了所有成员国的批准。

6 alleviation   

n. 减轻，缓和，解痛物

参考例句：

• These were the circumstances and the hopes which gradually brought alleviation to Sir Thomas's pain. 这些情况及其希望逐渐缓解了托马斯爵士的痛苦。
• The cost reduction achieved in this way will benefit patients and the society in burden alleviation. 集中招标采购降低的采购成本要让利于患者，减轻社会负担。 来自英汉 - 翻译样例 - 口语

7 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

8 partnerships   

n.伙伴关系( partnership的名词复数 )；合伙人身份；合作关系

参考例句：

• Partnerships suffer another major disadvantage: decision-making is shared. 合伙企业的另一主要缺点是决定要由大家来作。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• It involved selling off limited partnerships. 它涉及到售出有限的合伙权。 来自辞典例句

9 solidarity   

n.团结；休戚相关

参考例句：

• They must preserve their solidarity.他们必须维护他们的团结。
• The solidarity among China's various nationalities is as firm as a rock.中国各族人民之间的团结坚如磐石。

10 mechanism   

n.机械装置；机构，结构

参考例句：

• The bones and muscles are parts of the mechanism of the body.骨骼和肌肉是人体的组成部件。
• The mechanism of the machine is very complicated.这台机器的结构是非常复杂的。

11 eradicate   

v.根除，消灭，杜绝

参考例句：

• These insects are very difficult to eradicate.这些昆虫很难根除。
• They are already battling to eradicate illnesses such as malaria and tetanus.他们已经在努力消灭疟疾、破伤风等疾病。

12 socialist   

n.社会主义者；adj.社会主义的

参考例句：

• China is a socialist country,and a developing country as well.中国是一个社会主义国家，也是一个发展中国家。
• His father was an ardent socialist.他父亲是一个热情的社会主义者。

13 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

14 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

15 billboard   

n.布告板，揭示栏，广告牌

参考例句：

• He ploughed his energies into his father's billboard business.他把精力投入到父亲的广告牌业务中。
• Billboard spreads will be simpler and more eye-catching.广告牌广告会比较简单且更引人注目。

16 scrawled   

乱涂，潦草地写( scrawl的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• I tried to read his directions, scrawled on a piece of paper. 我尽量弄明白他草草写在一片纸上的指示。
• Tom scrawled on his slate, "Please take it -- I got more." 汤姆在他的写字板上写了几个字：“请你收下吧，我多得是哩。”