VOA标准英语2009年-Election Underscores Splits Among Iranian

The disputed Iranian presidential election has highlighted the divide in Iran's clerical establishment. Conservative religious scholars welcomed the re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, while reformist religious figures have criticized the results. Some religious leaders are uncomfortable with Mr. Ahmadinejad for his political actions and his messianic religious views.
　
Iranian supreme¹ leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei waves to the crowd during a religious ceremony, warning Western governments against "meddling²" in Iran's post-election riots, 06 Jul 2009

Qom is the center of Islamic learning in Iran. So when a group of clerics in Qom released a statement condemning³ the results of the Iranian presidential election and questioning the government's legitimacy⁴, it prompted world headlines. Some news outlets⁵ proclaimed the clerics are on a collision course with the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The statement came from a group called the "Assembly of Scholars and Teachers of Qom Seminary," which is a pro-reformist gathering⁶ of clerics. The Guardian⁷ Council blocked its leader from running for parliament last year.

Analysts⁹ say it is a counterweight to a rival group with a similar-sounding name, the "Society of Teachers of Qom Seminary," a conservative and powerful association with a membership of seven ayatollahs and three grand ayatollahs.

So the condemnatory¹⁰ statement was not really a surprise, and analysts say any talk of a head-on clash between the clerics and the Supreme Leader is premature¹¹ at best. Nevertheless, they add, there are political splits in the clerical establishment, some of which have come into the open because of the disputed election.

Jane's Information Group senior Middle East analyst⁸ Alex Vatanka says any public statements issued by clerics challenging the election's legitimacy should be considered significant.

"The fact that you have members of the Shia clergy¹² talk about the Council of Guardians¹³ not being qualified¹⁴ to do the job [of certifying¹⁵ the election] that the constitution has set it to do is the big issue," Vatanka said. "These guys are not fringe elements. They are not sitting somewhere outside the country making up directives. They are sitting at the heart of Shia teachings within Iran, in a theocracy¹⁶."

Vatanka says President Ahmadinejad, who is not a cleric, has alienated¹⁷ clerics on policy and religion.

"By and large what Ahmadinejad has done is create a whole host of enemies in the clerical establishment for various reasons," Vatanka said. "He has gone after some of them, accused them of economic corruption¹⁹ and all the rest of it. You heard that as part of the campaign. But you also have clerical members who are against Ahmadinejad's presidency²⁰ and running of the state from a more religious point of view."

Mr. Ahmadinejad won his first term in 2005 by running on a populist platform, railing about corruption. Analysts say many Iranians view the clerical class as privileged, pampered²¹, and corrupt¹⁸. His particular target then and now is former president Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who is a cleric.

In 2006, the president ordered women be allowed into stadiums for sports events. Senior clerics denounced that as promoting indecency, and he was forced to back down. Some clerics were also reportedly taken aback by his dispatch of a letter to Pope Benedict, who is a controversial figure in some quarters of the Muslim world.

Syracuse University Middle East Studies Director Mehrzad Boroujerdi says Mr. Ahmadinejad enjoys the favor of the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, but never built bridges to the clerical establishment.

"Ahmadinejad does not have a good relationship with the clerical establishment to begin with, the ones in Qom or Mashaad or other important places," Boroujerdi said. "Yes, he is a good buddy²² with Khamenei. But in terms of having forged ties with the heavyweight clerics in Qom, he has not done that. And, indeed, some of the things he has said in the past have alienated them."

Mr. Ahmadinejad has also raised eyebrows²³ for invoking²⁴ a messianic belief into policy matters. He has repeatedly made reference to his belief in the Hidden Imam, whom Shiites believe disappeared 1,000 years ago and will return after an apocalypse to usher²⁵ in an era of peace and harmony. It is very similar to the belief held by some End Times Christians²⁶ of the second coming of Jesus after an apocalyptic²⁷ battle between good and evil.

Mr. Ahmadinejad has invoked²⁸ the Mahdi, as the Imam is called, several times, even in his 2005 speech at the United Nations. In a 2008 speech, he said that the Mahdi is in charge of the world and that we see his hand directing all the affairs of the country.

Mehrzad Boroujerdi says that makes some orthodox Islamic scholars uneasy.

"Some of them, for example, are not happy with the messianic tone of his arguments because if you put yourself in the position, there is all this talk of the return of the hidden imam," Boroujerdi said. "If you are a grand ayatollah, the return of the hidden imam means that your days are numbered, right? You are going to be without a job. So the fact that Ahmadinejad keeps repeating that kind of argument does not necessarily endear him to the clerics, even though in public they have to remain mute."

The president's spiritual mentor²⁹ is a leading Iranian proponent³⁰ of Mahdiism, the highly conservative cleric Ayatollah Mohammad Taqi Mesbah-Yazdi. That Ayatollah is also chairman of the conservative Society of Teachers of Qom Seminary, which has thrown its support behind Mr. Ahmadinejad in the election controversy³¹. Some analysts believe Yazdi is in line to be Iran's next Supreme Leader if the country does not embark³² on a new course.

 

1 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。

2 meddling   

v.干涉，干预（他人事务）( meddle的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He denounced all "meddling" attempts to promote a negotiation. 他斥责了一切“干预”促成谈判的企图。 来自辞典例句
• They liked this field because it was never visited by meddling strangers. 她们喜欢这块田野，因为好事的陌生人从来不到那里去。 来自辞典例句

3 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》

4 legitimacy   

n.合法，正当

参考例句：

• The newspaper was directly challenging the government's legitimacy.报纸直接质疑政府的合法性。
• Managing from the top down,we operate with full legitimacy.我们进行由上而下的管理有充分的合法性。

5 outlets   

n.出口( outlet的名词复数 )；经销店；插座；廉价经销店

参考例句：

• The dumping of foreign cotton blocked outlets for locally grown cotton. 外国棉花的倾销阻滞了当地生产的棉花的销路。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They must find outlets for their products. 他们必须为自己的产品寻找出路。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 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。

7 guardian   

n.监护人；守卫者，保护者

参考例句：

• The form must be signed by the child's parents or guardian. 这张表格须由孩子的家长或监护人签字。
• The press is a guardian of the public weal. 报刊是公共福利的卫护者。

8 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

9 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

10 condemnatory   

adj. 非难的，处罚的

参考例句：

• Public security punishs a law to also have corresponding condemnatory regulation. 治安处罚法也有相应的处罚规定。
• Public security management does not have such regulation on condemnatory byelaw, can not detain. 治安治理处罚条例上没有这样的规定，不可以拘留的。

11 premature   

adj.比预期时间早的；不成熟的，仓促的

参考例句：

• It is yet premature to predict the possible outcome of the dialogue.预言这次对话可能有什么结果为时尚早。
• The premature baby is doing well.那个早产的婴儿很健康。

12 clergy   

n.[总称]牧师，神职人员

参考例句：

• I could heartily wish that more of our country clergy would follow this example.我衷心希望，我国有更多的牧师效法这个榜样。
• All the local clergy attended the ceremony.当地所有的牧师出席了仪式。

13 guardians   

监护人( guardian的名词复数 )； 保护者，维护者

参考例句：

• Farmers should be guardians of the countryside. 农民应是乡村的保卫者。
• The police are guardians of law and order. 警察是法律和秩序的护卫者。

14 qualified   

adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的

参考例句：

• He is qualified as a complete man of letters.他有资格当真正的文学家。
• We must note that we still lack qualified specialists.我们必须看到我们还缺乏有资质的专家。

15 certifying   

（尤指书面）证明( certify的现在分词 )； 发证书给…； 证明（某人）患有精神病； 颁发（或授予）专业合格证书

参考例句：

• Signed Commercial in quintuplicate, certifying merchandise to be of Chinese origin. 签署商业发票一式五份，证明产品的原产地为中国。
• Other documents certifying the truthfulness of the contents of the advertisements. （三）确认广告内容真实性的其他证明文件。

16 theocracy   

n.神权政治；僧侣政治

参考例句：

• Shangzhou was an important period for the formation and development of theocracy.商周时期是神权政治形成与发展的重要阶段。
• The Muslim brothers look as if they will opt for civil society rather than theocracy.穆斯林兄弟看起来好像更适合文明的社会，而非神权统治。

17 alienated   

adj.感到孤独的，不合群的v.使疏远( alienate的过去式和过去分词 )；使不友好；转让；让渡（财产等）

参考例句：

• His comments have alienated a lot of young voters. 他的言论使许多年轻选民离他而去。
• The Prime Minister's policy alienated many of her followers. 首相的政策使很多拥护她的人疏远了她。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 corrupt   

v.贿赂，收买；adj.腐败的，贪污的

参考例句：

• The newspaper alleged the mayor's corrupt practices.那家报纸断言市长有舞弊行为。
• This judge is corrupt.这个法官贪污。

19 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

20 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

21 pampered   

adj.饮食过量的，饮食奢侈的v.纵容，宠，娇养( pamper的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The lazy scum deserve worse. What if they ain't fed up and pampered? 他们吃不饱，他们的要求满足不了，这又有什么关系？ 来自飘（部分）
• She petted and pampered him and would let no one discipline him but she, herself. 她爱他，娇养他，而且除了她自己以外，她不允许任何人管教他。 来自辞典例句

22 buddy   

n.（美口）密友，伙伴

参考例句：

• Calm down,buddy.What's the trouble?压压气，老兄。有什么麻烦吗？
• Get out of my way,buddy!别挡道了，你这家伙！

23 eyebrows   

眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Eyebrows stop sweat from coming down into the eyes. 眉毛挡住汗水使其不能流进眼睛。
• His eyebrows project noticeably. 他的眉毛特别突出。

24 invoking   

v.援引( invoke的现在分词 )；行使（权利等）；祈求救助；恳求

参考例句：

• You can customise the behavior of the Asynchronous Server and hence re-brand it by defining your own command set for invoking services. 通过定义自己调用服务的命令集，您可以定制自定义异步服务器的行为，通过为调用服务定义自己的命令集从而对它重新标记。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• You can customize the behavior of the Asynchronous Server and hence re-brand it by defining your own command set for invoking services. 通过定义自己调用服务的命令集，您可以定制自定义异步服务器的行为，通过为调用服务定义自己的命令集从而对它重新标记。 来自辞典例句

25 usher   

n.带位员，招待员；vt.引导，护送；vi.做招待，担任引座员

参考例句：

• The usher seated us in the front row.引座员让我们在前排就座。
• They were quickly ushered away.他们被迅速领开。

26 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

27 apocalyptic   

adj.预示灾祸的，启示的

参考例句：

• The air is chill and stagnant,the language apocalyptic.空气寒冷而污浊，语言则是《启示录》式的。
• Parts of the ocean there look just absolutely apocalyptic.海洋的很多区域看上去完全像是世界末日。

28 invoked   

v.援引( invoke的过去式和过去分词 )；行使（权利等）；祈求救助；恳求

参考例句：

• It is unlikely that libel laws will be invoked. 不大可能诉诸诽谤法。
• She had invoked the law in her own defence. 她援引法律为自己辩护。 来自《简明英汉词典》

29 mentor   

n.指导者，良师益友；v.指导

参考例句：

• He fed on the great ideas of his mentor.他以他导师的伟大思想为支撑。
• He had mentored scores of younger doctors.他指导过许多更年轻的医生。

30 proponent   

n.建议者；支持者；adj.建议的

参考例句：

• Stapp became a strong early proponent of automobile seat belts.斯塔普是力主在汽车上采用座椅安全带的早期倡导者。
• Halsey was identified as a leading proponent of the values of progressive education.哈尔西被认为是进步教育价值观的主要支持者。

31 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

32 embark   

vi.乘船，着手，从事，上飞机

参考例句：

• He is about to embark on a new business venture.他就要开始新的商业冒险活动。
• Many people embark for Europe at New York harbor.许多人在纽约港乘船去欧洲。