VOA标准英语2009年-US Officials Warn of Terrorist Recruitment of S

U.S. officials are warning that Islamic extremists are attempting to radicalize and recruit Somali Americans. An American college student became the first U.S. citizen suicide bomber¹ when he killed himself in Somalia last year. And U.S. authorities are investigating what role Islamic extremist groups might have played in the disappearance² of more than a dozen Somali American teenagers and young men. A U.S. Senate panel held a hearing on the issue Wednesday.

"We are going to focus on what appears to me to be the most significant case of homegrown American terrorism recruiting based on violent Islamist ideology," Senator Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut, who calls himself an independent Democrat³, said as he chaired the hearing before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

At issue is the disappearance of more than a dozen Somali American teenagers and young men, who are believed to have traveled to Somalia. U.S. authorities are investigating role Islamic extremists might have played in their unexpected departure.

A college student from Minneapolis, Minnesota, Shirwa Ahmed, blew himself up in Somalia last October in one of a series of bombings attributed to the al-Shabaab group, which has close ties to al-Qaida. The U.S. State Department designated al-Shabaab a terrorist organization in February 2008.
　
Andrew Liepman(R) and J. Philip Mudd testify before Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Capitol Hill, 11 Mar⁴ 2009

The Deputy Director for Intelligence at the National Counterterrorism Center, Andrew Liepman, says a small but significant number of Somali American youths are being radicalized by Islamic extremists. He told the Senate panel that a number of factors make young Somali Americans vulnerable to radicalization.

"Among Somali Americans, the refugee experience of fleeing a war-torn country combined with isolation⁵, perceived discrimination, marginalization and frustrated⁶ expectations as well as local, criminal, familial and clan⁷ dynamics⁸, make some members of this community more susceptible⁹ to this sort of extremist influence," he said.

The Somali community in the United States is estimated to number as many as 200,000 people.

Liepman expressed concern about the potential for radicalized Somali Americans to be indoctrinated by al-Qaida while in Somalia, and then return to the United States with the intention of conducting terrorist attacks.

One Somali American, Osman Ahmed, told the committee that his nephew, Burhan Hassan, a student at the University of Minnesota, disappeared on November 4. The family discovered that his passport, laptop computer and cellphone were gone, and found a receipt for $2,000 in airfare.

Ahmed said he believes Hassan and others were recruited by al-Shabaab because they have no recourse once they arrive in Somalia. "They could be used for anything they want. They could be trained or forced to become suicide bombers¹⁰ in Somalia and they can do it out of desperation. For many of them, Burhan for example, have no idea where he could go for help in Somalia. This the first time he has been to Somalia in his life. These are basically the main reasons of why al-Shabaab is recruiting from Western countries," he said.

J. Philip Mudd, a top security official with the Federal Bureau of Investigation¹¹, says he believes young Somali Americans are not so much recruited by extremists in Somalia as they are drawn¹² to the East African nation on their own accord. "I don't see people out there saying, 'Can we have another 10 Americans?' I think it's a simple story of people wanting to fight for their country or go live in a different social or religious environment," he said.

Some experts believe that the threat of al-Shabaab recruiting from Western nations may be waning¹³ now that an Islamist government has replaced a U.S.-backed Ethiopian occupation in Somalia.

Political scientist Kenneth Menkhaus is an expert on Somalia at Davidson College in North Carolina. "Somalis who were willing to support [al-]Shabaab when it supported the main source of resistance to Ethiopian occupation appear uninterested in supporting [al-]Shabaab in its bid to grab power and impose its extremist policies on Somalia. [Al-]Shabaab may well have hit its high-water mark in 2008, and now faces declining support and possible defections. If so, this is good news. It would mean the threat of [al-]Shabaab recruitment among the diaspora would be less of a threat in the future," he said.

Menkhaus called on U.S. authorities to do more to reach out to the Somali American community as they investigate the role of al-Shabaab and the whereabouts of missing young Somali Americans.

He noted¹⁴ that some members of the community are reluctant to talk to law enforcement officials because they had difficult experiences dealing¹⁵ with police in Somalia or out of fear of being investigated by U.S. immigration officials.

1 bomber   

n.轰炸机，投弹手，投掷炸弹者

参考例句：

• He flew a bomber during the war.他在战时驾驶轰炸机。
• Detectives hunting the London bombers will be keen to interview him.追查伦敦爆炸案凶犯的侦探们急于对他进行讯问。

2 disappearance   

n.消失，消散，失踪

参考例句：

• He was hard put to it to explain her disappearance.他难以说明她为什么不见了。
• Her disappearance gave rise to the wildest rumours.她失踪一事引起了各种流言蜚语。

3 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

4 mar   

vt.破坏，毁坏，弄糟

参考例句：

• It was not the custom for elderly people to mar the picnics with their presence.大人们照例不参加这样的野餐以免扫兴。
• Such a marriage might mar your career.这样的婚姻说不定会毁了你的一生。

5 isolation   

n.隔离，孤立，分解，分离

参考例句：

• The millionaire lived in complete isolation from the outside world.这位富翁过着与世隔绝的生活。
• He retired and lived in relative isolation.他退休后，生活比较孤寂。

6 frustrated   

adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's very easy to get frustrated in this job. 这个工作很容易令人懊恼。
• The bad weather frustrated all our hopes of going out. 恶劣的天气破坏了我们出行的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 clan   

n.氏族，部落，宗族，家族，宗派

参考例句：

• She ranks as my junior in the clan.她的辈分比我小。
• The Chinese Christians,therefore,practically excommunicate themselves from their own clan.所以，中国的基督徒简直是被逐出了自己的家族了。

8 dynamics   

n.力学，动力学，动力，原动力；动态

参考例句：

• In order to succeed,you must master complicated knowledge of dynamics.要取得胜利，你必须掌握很复杂的动力学知识。
• Dynamics is a discipline that cannot be mastered without extensive practice.动力学是一门不做大量习题就不能掌握的学科。

9 susceptible   

adj.过敏的，敏感的；易动感情的，易受感动的

参考例句：

• Children are more susceptible than adults.孩子比成人易受感动。
• We are all susceptible to advertising.我们都易受广告的影响。

10 bombers   

n.轰炸机( bomber的名词复数 )；投弹手；安非他明胶囊；大麻叶香烟

参考例句：

• Enemy bombers carried out a blitz on the city. 敌军轰炸机对这座城市进行了突袭。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Royal Airforce sill remained dangerously short of bombers. 英国皇家空军仍未脱离极为缺乏轰炸机的危境。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

12 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

13 waning   

adj.（月亮）渐亏的，逐渐减弱或变小的n.月亏v.衰落( wane的现在分词 )；（月）亏；变小；变暗淡

参考例句：

• Her enthusiasm for the whole idea was waning rapidly. 她对整个想法的热情迅速冷淡了下来。
• The day is waning and the road is ending. 日暮途穷。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

14 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

15 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。