VOA标准英语2009年-Despite Court Victory, Egypt's Bahais Face

By Aya Batrawy
Cairo
30 September 2009
 
Copy of Labib Iskandar's ID card, pictured May 18, 2006. Iskandar is an Egyptian Bahai. 
Earlier this year, residents of a small town in Egypt burned down four homes that belonged to followers¹ of the Bahai faith. Last month, demonstrations² greeted plans to relocate them. Despite gains made by Bahais in a recent court ruling to grant them rights on government identification cards, this small community of Egyptian Bahais is in a greater battle for community acceptance. 

While it has never been illegal to be a Bahai in Egypt, it has never been easy. Amm Ahmed, his wife and their six children fled their hometown of Suhag in southern Egypt after hate crimes against them became too much.
 
Amm Ahmed meets me in a private residence on the outskirts³ of Cairo away from the public eye and security officials.

It is here, in the privacy of this apartment, that Amm Ahmed can practice his faith. A tall, sturdy man dressed in a traditional Egyptian gallabiya and turban, he reads verses from the Bahai holy book as the Muslim call to evening prayer rings out in the background.

Victims of persecution⁴
 
Although born Bahai, he used to work as a reciter of the Quran. He saw nothing wrong with reading the Muslim holy book since the Bahai faith embraces the scriptures⁵ of other major religions. 

But soon after he announced he was Bahai, he says, both he and his wife were imprisoned⁶ for nine months on charges that were never made clear. Then, in March, his home in Suhag was burned down along with those of three other Bahai families there. He and his family escaped injury because they already fled due to harassment⁷ in the previous months. 

He says the civilized⁸ world discusses things and that Egypt should do the same. He says Egypt must open a dialogue with Bahais and see what they believe in and what their holy book says.

Origin of Bahai faith

The Bahai faith was founded in the mid⁹ 19th century by a Persian named Baha'ullah. Many Muslims view the religion as a heretical deviation¹⁰ of Islam and Bahais have long faced persecution, particularly in Iran.

But this was not always the case, at least not in Egypt where there are thought to be as many as 2,000 followers of the religion. Bahais enjoyed some level of official recognition here until 1960, when the government outlawed¹¹ any public activities of Bahais and forced them to misidentify themselves on government documents as either a Muslim, Christian¹² or Jew.

Following years of legal struggle for state recognition, a court ruled earlier this year that Bahais can leave the section under religion blank on government identification cards and birth certificates.

New court ruling is important

Hossam Bahgat of the Egyptian Initiative for Human Rights explains the significance of the ruling.
 
"There are two ways of looking at this positive court outcome," Bahgat said. "For Bahais it is simply a correction of a mistake and finally the government seems to be granting them these documents again. But for the Egyptian legal system, it is a significant step in that this the first time in Egypt's legal history there is an administrative¹³ system to deal with Egyptians who do not adhere to one of the three state recognized religions of Islam, Christianity or Judaism."
 
Seated at a café in downtown Cairo, Dr. Raouf Hindy enjoys a steaming Turkish coffee as he talks about the court case. 

He's a modest hero among fellow Bahais for taking on the government to court and winning. His children have just become the first Egyptians to receive the new ID's.

Dr. Hindy says that prior to this court ruling, Bahais faced a hard choice. They either had to lie on official papers, which could lead to being jailed, or they had to function as best they could without documentation.
 
He says he is happy, but that he wishes he never had to go to the court in the first place. Dr. Hindy says that it is not the job of the government to choose a person's religion for them.

Bright future?

Dr. Basma Moussa is one of hundreds of Bahais waiting for the new ID. She prefers we talk from inside her car just near the university where she teaches because she is wary¹⁴ of being interviewed in public. 

Although she's been married for more than 20 years, she does not have a marriage license¹⁵ because the Egyptian government does not recognize Bahai marriages. At its simplest this means that if she and her husband check into a hotel room they have to get separate rooms because unwed Egyptian couples are not legally allowed to rent hotel rooms together.  But without correct papers, it also means that she cannot file taxes properly, open a bank account, buy a new car or receive government benefits.
 
Moussa says they are tired, and the government keeps complicating¹⁶ things. She notes there is nothing in the Quran that says there are only three religions. She adds that they do not want to lie or write false things, they just want to live like all other Egyptians.

Bahais still face an uphill battle for acceptance in Egypt. Just last month, there were protests and arrests after the government announced plans to relocate those Bahais whose homes were burned down. But the new ID cards have given the hope that more change is coming.

1 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

2 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。

3 outskirts   

n.郊外，郊区

参考例句：

• Our car broke down on the outskirts of the city.我们的汽车在市郊出了故障。
• They mostly live on the outskirts of a town.他们大多住在近郊。

4 persecution   

n. 迫害,烦扰

参考例句：

• He had fled from France at the time of the persecution. 他在大迫害时期逃离了法国。
• Their persecution only serves to arouse the opposition of the people. 他们的迫害只激起人民对他们的反抗。

5 scriptures   

经文，圣典( scripture的名词复数 )； 经典

参考例句：

• Here the apostle Peter affirms his belief that the Scriptures are 'inspired'. 使徒彼得在此表达了他相信《圣经》是通过默感写成的。
• You won't find this moral precept in the scriptures. 你在《圣经》中找不到这种道德规范。

6 imprisoned   

下狱，监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was imprisoned for two concurrent terms of 30 months and 18 months. 他被判处30个月和18个月的监禁，合并执行。
• They were imprisoned for possession of drugs. 他们因拥有毒品而被监禁。

7 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。

8 civilized   

a.有教养的，文雅的

参考例句：

• Racism is abhorrent to a civilized society. 文明社会憎恶种族主义。
• rising crime in our so-called civilized societies 在我们所谓文明社会中日益增多的犯罪行为

9 mid   

adj.中央的，中间的

参考例句：

• Our mid-term exam is pending.我们就要期中考试了。
• He switched over to teaching in mid-career.他在而立之年转入教学工作。

10 deviation   

n.背离，偏离；偏差，偏向；离题

参考例句：

• Deviation from this rule are very rare.很少有违反这条规则的。
• Any deviation from the party's faith is seen as betrayal.任何对党的信仰的偏离被视作背叛。

11 outlawed   

宣布…为不合法（outlaw的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• Most states have outlawed the use of marijuana. 大多数州都宣布使用大麻为非法行为。
• I hope the sale of tobacco will be outlawed someday. 我希望有朝一日烟草制品会禁止销售。

12 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。

13 administrative   

adj.行政的，管理的

参考例句：

• The administrative burden must be lifted from local government.必须解除地方政府的行政负担。
• He regarded all these administrative details as beneath his notice.他认为行政管理上的这些琐事都不值一顾。

14 wary   

adj.谨慎的，机警的，小心的

参考例句：

• He is wary of telling secrets to others.他谨防向他人泄露秘密。
• Paula frowned,suddenly wary.宝拉皱了皱眉头，突然警惕起来。

15 license   

n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许

参考例句：

• The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
• The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。

16 complicating   

使复杂化( complicate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• High spiking fever with chills is suggestive of a complicating pylephlebitis. 伴有寒战的高热，暗示合并门静脉炎。
• In America these actions become executive puberty rites, complicating relationships that are already complicated enough. 在美国，这些行动成了行政青春期的惯例，使本来已经够复杂的关系变得更复杂了。