VOA标准英语2009年-Iranian Cleric's Funeral Turns Into An

The political opposition¹ in Iran says hundreds of thousands of people turned out for the funeral of Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri. The dissident cleric, who died Sunday at the age of 87, had been a spiritual guide for opponents of the government.

Elizabeth Arrott | Cairo 21 December 2009

 
Photo: AP
Mourners surround the casket of the Iranian Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri in Qom, 21 Dec 2009

Some in the funeral procession held aloft the green banners of the opposition movement, while others chanted anti-government slogans. 

Security forces were present along the route, and there are reports of isolated² fighting between some of the police and protesters.

The crowds came from across Iran to the holy city of Qom to attend the burial of Ayatollah Montazeri.  Iranian authorities banned foreign media coverage³ of the event.  But opposition websites and videos posted online gave an idea of the extent of the gathering⁴.

The ayatollah was buried in the shrine⁵ of Masoumeh.  Opposition leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi called for a day of mourning and had urged supporters to come to the funeral.

Opposition groups report at least one busload of people trying to reach Qom was turned back, while there were other reports of arrests.  There was no immediate⁶ government or independent confirmation⁷ of such incidents or the reports of fighting between protesters and security forces in Qom.

The Iranian government and state media initially⁸ downplayed the popular cleric's death.  On Monday, Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki paid tribute to Montazeri.

Mottaki, on a visit to Beirut, said the late ayatollah was a great scholar and asked for God's forgiveness and mercy for him.

Montazeri was one of the founding fathers of the Islamic Republic and remained a top arbiter⁹ of Shi'ite law.  But his criticism of what he saw
as authoritarianism¹⁰ and human-rights abuses led to his being dropped as successor to the nation's Supreme¹¹ Leader.  

The ayatollah continued his opposition from Qom, where he spent several years under house arrest for his outspoken¹² views.  This year he played a critical role in condemning¹³ the government after the disputed re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and a subsequent crackdown on opposition supporters.

Security was already tight as Iranians observe an annual period of mourning.  Such events have been used by opposition supporters to protest against the government.

Observers note the first week commemoration of Montazeri's death Sunday will coincide with the marking of the solemn Ashoura holiday.
 

1 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。

2 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

3 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

4 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

5 shrine   

n.圣地，神龛，庙；v.将...置于神龛内，把...奉为神圣

参考例句：

• The shrine was an object of pilgrimage.这处圣地是人们朝圣的目的地。
• They bowed down before the shrine.他们在神龛前鞠躬示敬。

6 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

7 confirmation   

n.证实，确认，批准

参考例句：

• We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。
• We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前，我们需要书面确认。

8 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

9 arbiter   

n.仲裁人，公断人

参考例句：

• Andrew was the arbiter of the disagreement.安德鲁是那场纠纷的仲裁人。
• Experiment is the final arbiter in science.实验是科学的最后仲裁者。

10 authoritarianism   

权力主义，独裁主义

参考例句：

• Modern authoritarianism is a vestige of traditional personal rule. 现代独裁主义则是传统的个人统治的残余。
• In its latter days it was a byword for authoritarianism, incompetence, and corruption. 在后期，它是独裁、无能和腐化的代号。

11 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

12 outspoken   

adj.直言无讳的，坦率的，坦白无隐的

参考例句：

• He was outspoken in his criticism.他在批评中直言不讳。
• She is an outspoken critic of the school system in this city.她是这座城市里学校制度的坦率的批评者。

13 condemning   

v.（通常因道义上的原因而）谴责( condemn的现在分词 )；宣判；宣布…不能使用；迫使…陷于不幸的境地

参考例句：

• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。
• I concur with the speaker in condemning what has been done. 我同意发言者对所做的事加以谴责。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》