VOA标准英语2011--International Tourists Flock to Sabang D

International Tourists Flock to Sabang Despite Sharia Law

Despite strict Sharia laws mandating¹ that Muslim women wear headscarves and banning alcohol consumption, international tourism on the island of Sabang in Indonesia's Aceh province is growing.
The key to success has been that both hotel owners and local officials have agreed to make compromises to accommodate Western visitors and to respect the local culture.
When American tourist Mollie Hightower and her husband Brian Hubler visited Sabang island to go diving and snorkeling, she was a little concerned about wearing a bikini in a region where Muslim women are required to wear headscarves and long clothing at all times.
“Before I went out in a swimsuit, I asked, and I wanted to make sure it was OK on this beach to be traipsing around in a bikini, and they said it was fine in the resort area,” said Hightower.
Hubler said it is a bit strange to see women in headscarves and heavy clothing on the beach in this tropical climate.
“The most obvious part, and this would extend maybe even beyond Sharia law to just Muslim countries in general, is the sort of, the amount of clothing that women have to wear in the extreme heat and humidity is sort of baffling,” said Hubler.
Tourism on Sabang, also known as Pulau Wey, has been growing since the 2005 peace agreement between the Indonesia government and local insurgents², which ended 30 years of conflict in Aceh Province.
It is accessible only by ferry. But neither its remote location, nor the implementation³ of Sharia law in Aceh has kept visitors from coming.
One of the leaders of Sabang's tourism industry is hotel owner Freddie Rousseau. A former United Nations official, he first came to Aceh as part of the relief efforts following the 2004 tsunami⁴.
In the past year his hotel, the Santai Sumur Tiga, has been operating at 80 percent capacity, and a number of new hotels are under construction.
Rousseau said the hotels have helped the local economy by buying food and materials, and providing jobs. Local officials have voiced strong support for tourism as a vital part of the Island's development. This support includes exempting⁵ Western visitors on hotel grounds from Islamic regulations like the ban on alcohol.
“Despite the fact that it is according to the Sharia law illegal, the fact that I only supply alcohol to internationals or non-Muslims makes the people tolerate that aspect as well,” he said.
Although Westerners do not have to abide⁶ by the dress code in general in Aceh, wearing skimpy swimming suits and other revealing clothing is frowned on in the province, the only part of Indonesia where Sharia is used.
Rousseau said the exemption⁷ for tourism does not apply to some other laws. For example, he reassured⁸ authorities he will not permit unmarried couples to sleep together.
Sabang Mayor Munawar Liza Zainal said there is no conflict between tourism and Islam, as long as the visitors respect the local culture. This means dressing⁹ appropriately when visiting the villages and not having loud parties.
He said drinking and partying, which would annoy the people, is unnecessary. But if it is just common consumption, he said he thinks a Muslim cannot prohibit others [non Muslims] from doing that.
Zainal also said local Muslims are well educated and morally strong enough to resist Western temptations.
Rousseau said keeping Sabang a quiet, safe and unspoiled alternative to overcrowded Bali, Indonesia's top visitor destination, also is in the interest of the tourist industry.
“We never want to be a second Bali. We want this place to remain unspoiled, where people can come and have privacy, can enjoy themselves without being harassed¹⁰. Without traffic jams, without pollution,” said Rousseau.
Rousseau said international tourism can continue to grow in Sabang, despite its Sharia law, as long as it remains¹¹ out of sight and the local culture remains intact.

1 mandating   

托管（mandate的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• Current requirements mandating that committees keep minutes are too general. 目前对委员会要保持详细记录的指令性要求，还是太过一般化了。
• Mandating that workers who quit without permission forfeit a month's wages. 规定工人私自离岗将受到罚没一个月工资的处罚。

2 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

3 implementation   

n.实施，贯彻

参考例句：

• Implementation of the program is now well underway.这一项目的实施现在行情看好。

4 tsunami   

n.海啸

参考例句：

• Powerful quake sparks tsunami warning in Japan.大地震触发了日本的海啸预警。
• Coastlines all around the Indian Ocean inundated by a huge tsunami.大海啸把印度洋沿岸地区都淹没了。

5 exempting   

使免除[豁免]( exempt的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• EPA adopted regulations exempting discharges from agricultural activities, with certain exceptions for relatively major pollution sources. 环境保护局采用管制规章，禁止源自农业活动的各种排放，对于一些相关的大型污染源也有例外。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

6 abide   

vi.遵守；坚持；vt.忍受

参考例句：

• You must abide by the results of your mistakes.你必须承担你的错误所造成的后果。
• If you join the club,you have to abide by its rules.如果你参加俱乐部，你就得遵守它的规章。

7 exemption   

n.豁免，免税额，免除

参考例句：

• You may be able to apply for exemption from local taxes.你可能符合资格申请免除地方税。
• These goods are subject to exemption from tax.这些货物可以免税。

8 reassured   

adj.使消除疑虑的；使放心的v.再保证，恢复信心( reassure的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• The captain's confidence during the storm reassured the passengers. 在风暴中船长的信念使旅客们恢复了信心。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The doctor reassured the old lady. 医生叫那位老妇人放心。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 dressing   

n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料

参考例句：

• Don't spend such a lot of time in dressing yourself.别花那么多时间来打扮自己。
• The children enjoy dressing up in mother's old clothes.孩子们喜欢穿上妈妈旧时的衣服玩。

10 harassed   

adj. 疲倦的，厌烦的 动词harass的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He has complained of being harassed by the police. 他投诉受到警方侵扰。
• harassed mothers with their children 带着孩子的疲惫不堪的母亲们

11 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。