VOA标准英语2010年-In Malaysia, Increasing Religious Tens

Kuala Lumpur police officer inspects the damage to the Metro¹ Tabernacle Church which was destroyed by a fire bomb a little after midnight in the Kuala Lumpur suburb of Desa Melawati, Malaysia, 08 Jan 2010

Recently, a series of attacks on Christian² churches and a Sikh temple in Malaysia focused attention on growing ethnic³ tension in the country. The Malaysian government, which has been promoting a "1Malaysia" campaign stressing racial and religious harmony, condemned⁴ the attacks. But, some critics say it may also be contributing to religious and racial divisions to solidify⁵ its political base.

A legal dispute over the word "Allah" divides Muslims and Catholics in Malaysia. The controversy⁶ started on December 31, when the Malaysian High Court allowed Roman Catholics to use "Allah" to refer to God. The government has appealed the verdict.

Although many Muslims attending prayer service at the National Mosque⁷ in Kuala Lumpur believe the word "Allah" is exclusive to Islam, few endorsed⁸ the violent attacks on nine churches and a Sikh temple that followed the court ruling.

"We think it could be created, you know, to make people believe there are violence in religions here but, in fact it is not," said a Muslim man.

At Saint Ann's Church, Father Lawrence Andrew says the government's swift response to protect churches has been reassuring⁹ but the experience has left Malaysia's Catholic community concerned. "We are not really upset about it, but what is psychologically disturbing is that people can be annoyed or feel insecure at the slightest differences that appear," he said.

Although the attacks appear religious in nature, political analysts¹⁰ here say they are more symptomatic of conflicting economic and political pressures on the leading government party, the United Malays United Malays National Organization.

Charles Santiago is an opposition¹¹ member of parliament with the Democratic Action Party. He says UMNO maintained power for years by giving special treatment to its core constituency - ethnic Muslim Malays, who make up 60 percent of the population.

"I am UMNO, the protector, and I will give you the money.  I will give you all development and all you have to do is every once in five years make sure you come and vote for me, and this thing will go on," said Santiago.

However, to become more competitive in the global economy, the government is trying to rollback its system of ethnic preferences, which requires companies to reserve 30 percent of their shares for Malays.

The government public relations campaign, called "1Malaysia," which advocates the values of tolerance¹² and equality, was designed, in part, to push public acceptance of these economic changes.

But after the 2008 elections, in which many Malays voted for the opposition, UMNO had to change its tactics.

Zakaria Ahmad is a professor of politics with Help University in Kuala Lumpur. He says, to shore up its support within the Muslim Malay community, the government now has to support or at least tolerate more hardline actions on issues of race and religion. "I think there is a breakdown¹³ of law and order, but it is not lawlessness.  It is just the government seems to be unable to cope - doesn't seem to have the political will to enforce laws as before," said Ahmad.

In addition to the controversy about the use of the word Allah, the judicial¹⁴ system has put new emphasis on enforcing Sharia law among Muslims.  In recent months, three Muslim women have been caned¹⁵ for sexual misconduct.

In Malaysia, Muslims are subject to Sharia courts for violating religious law and for family issues such as divorce.  A separate secular¹⁶ court system exists for other issues and for non-Muslims.

Marina Mahathir, a women's rights advocate and daughter of former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, says there are more instances of police monitoring personal behavior. "There was a recent story about wanting to, on Valentine's Day, raid people having romantic candlelit dinners, Muslim couples having romantic candlelit, I mean, what business of it is theirs and really don't they have better things to do?  And, that is what our leadership should be saying, 'Don't you have better things to do," she said.

Law Professor Yusri Mohammad, with the International University in Malaysia, says the Muslim community is not becoming more conservative, but it is trying to hold on to its values and way of life. "You can't have non-Malay things that you may feel some people in countries are having that you would also like to have;  but if you inject that within a Malaysian setting it becomes disruptive. It becomes - it disturbs the balance we have," he said.

He says, although some politicians may think that conflict can help them win votes, most Malaysians still embrace moderation and respect for all races and religions.

 

1 metro   

n.地铁；adj.大都市的；(METRO)麦德隆(财富500强公司之一总部所在地德国，主要经营零售)

参考例句：

• Can you reach the park by metro?你可以乘地铁到达那个公园吗？
• The metro flood gate system is a disaster prevention equipment.地铁防淹门系统是一种防灾设备。

2 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。

3 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

4 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

5 solidify   

v.(使)凝固，(使)固化，(使)团结

参考例句：

• Opinion on this question began to solidify.对这个问题的意见开始具体化了。
• Water will solidify into ice if you freeze it.水冷冻会结冰。

6 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。

7 mosque   

n.清真寺

参考例句：

• The mosque is a activity site and culture center of Muslim religion.清真寺为穆斯林宗教活动场所和文化中心。
• Some years ago the clock in the tower of the mosque got out of order.几年前，清真寺钟楼里的大钟失灵了。

8 endorsed   

vt.& vi.endorse的过去式或过去分词形式v.赞同( endorse的过去式和过去分词 )；在（尤指支票的）背面签字；在（文件的）背面写评论；在广告上说本人使用并赞同某产品

参考例句：

• The committee endorsed an initiative by the chairman to enter discussion about a possible merger. 委员会通过了主席提出的新方案，开始就可能进行的并购进行讨论。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The government has broadly endorsed a research paper proposing new educational targets for 14-year-olds. 政府基本上支持建议对14 岁少年实行新教育目标的研究报告。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 reassuring   

a.使人消除恐惧和疑虑的，使人放心的

参考例句：

• He gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. 他轻拍了一下她的肩膀让她放心。
• With a reassuring pat on her arm, he left. 他鼓励地拍了拍她的手臂就离开了。

10 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。

11 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。

12 tolerance   

n.宽容；容忍，忍受；耐药力；公差

参考例句：

• Tolerance is one of his strengths.宽容是他的一个优点。
• Human beings have limited tolerance of noise.人类对噪音的忍耐力有限。

13 breakdown   

n.垮，衰竭；损坏，故障，倒塌

参考例句：

• She suffered a nervous breakdown.她患神经衰弱。
• The plane had a breakdown in the air,but it was fortunately removed by the ace pilot.飞机在空中发生了故障，但幸运的是被王牌驾驶员排除了。

14 judicial   

adj.司法的，法庭的，审判的，明断的，公正的

参考例句：

• He is a man with a judicial mind.他是个公正的人。
• Tom takes judicial proceedings against his father.汤姆对他的父亲正式提出诉讼。

15 caned   

vt.用苔杖打（cane的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• The gaoler caned the man. 狱卒用藤条鞭打这个人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I have caned my son when necessary. 必要时，我就用藤条打儿子一顿。 来自辞典例句

16 secular   

n.牧师，凡人；adj.世俗的，现世的，不朽的

参考例句：

• We live in an increasingly secular society.我们生活在一个日益非宗教的社会。
• Britain is a plural society in which the secular predominates.英国是个世俗主导的多元社会。