VOA常速英语2019--美国谴责伊拉克迫害宗教自由

A great deal is lost to history, culture, and economic development when a country does not protect its minority religions and ethnic¹ groups. Sadly, this is what happened in Iraq when government persecution² there drove hundreds of thousands of Jews from the country in the early 1950s.

历史、文化、经济发展会损失重大，除非一个国家能保护少数派宗教和种族。可悲的是，伊拉克却没有做到这一点，因为伊拉克政府的迫害迫使无数犹太人在20世纪50年代初期逃离了这里。

Speaking at the Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom, U.S. Agency for International Development Deputy Administrator³ Bonnie Glick said Jewish Iraqis were driven from their homes to such an extent that an ancient part of the country’s cultural and religious landscape is now essentially⁴ extinct:

在促进宗教自由部长级会议上，美国国际开发署（USAID）副署长邦妮表示，伊拉克的犹太人被从自己家园驱逐出去，其程度之恶劣让伊拉克文化和宗教中自古流传的一部分都缺失了：

There is no longer a significant Jewish community in Iraq, a land in which some of the most significant Jewish scriptures⁵ were originally scribed. There is no longer a significant Jewish community in Iraq, a community that once numbered in the hundreds of thousands, because the Iraqi government terrorized its Jewish population and forced them to flee, not just their homes and businesses, but the country of their birth.

伊拉克现在已经不再有庞大的犹太社群了，但这片领土曾是某些最伟大犹太经文的誊抄地。伊拉克现在已经不再有庞大的犹太社区内了，虽然曾经有无数犹太人在这里，因为伊拉克政府对犹太人实施了恐怖统治，迫使他们逃离，他们不知放弃了家园和生意，也离开了祖国。

The persecution of Jews is often a warning sign of more widespread persecution of religious minorities, said Deputy Administrator Glick:

犹太人受到的迫害警醒我们更广泛的宗教少数群体迫害，邦妮如是说道。

They’ve been persecuted⁶ across the millennia⁷ beginning with the Romans and moving into modern times. Today we see anti-Semitism around the world ranging in places from Buenos Aires, Argentina; to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; to Paris, France, and beyond. And if nothing else stands as a witness to what happens when religious intolerance is allowed to run free -- it’s the Jewish experience.

即使过了千禧年，这种迫害依然在持续——从罗马人开始，一直持续到现代。如今，我们看到世界各地都有反犹太主义的存在，从阿根廷的布宜诺斯艾利斯到宾夕法尼亚的匹兹堡，再到法国巴黎，甚至更多的地方。如果说当宗教偏执大行其道的时候没人愿意作证的话，那这就是犹太人的体验。

The world cannot afford to be silent today as religious communities of Jews, Christians⁸, Yazidis, Muslims, Sikhs, and others are victimized, often by their own fellow citizens, said Deputy Administrator Glick.

这个世界不能再沉默了，因为许多宗教社群，如犹太、基督、雅兹迪、穆斯林、锡克等都成为了受害者，邦妮如是说道。

Thomas Jefferson is often credited with saying that The price of liberty is eternal vigilance. That is the hard reality we face today, said Ms. Glick. We must remain vigilant⁹.

托马斯·杰斐逊有一句话经常为人所称赞，自由的代价是永恒的警觉。这也是我们今天面临的现实。我们必须保持警觉。

Nobel Peace Prize winner and Holocaust¹⁰ survivor¹¹ Elie Wiesel said the opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference¹². And it is critical for the world, said Deputy Administrator Glick, not to be indifferent to the plight¹³ of people who are oppressed simply because of their faiths.

诺贝尔和平奖获得者、大屠杀幸存者埃利·维瑟尔表示，爱的对立面并不是恨，而是冷漠。邦妮说，有一件事对全球来说很重要——不要对那些因为有信仰而受到压迫的人的疾苦漠不关心。

1 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。

2 persecution   

n. 迫害,烦扰

参考例句：

• He had fled from France at the time of the persecution. 他在大迫害时期逃离了法国。
• Their persecution only serves to arouse the opposition of the people. 他们的迫害只激起人民对他们的反抗。

3 administrator   

n.经营管理者，行政官员

参考例句：

• The role of administrator absorbed much of Ben's energy.行政职务耗掉本很多精力。
• He has proved himself capable as administrator.他表现出管理才能。

4 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

5 scriptures   

经文，圣典( scripture的名词复数 )； 经典

参考例句：

• Here the apostle Peter affirms his belief that the Scriptures are 'inspired'. 使徒彼得在此表达了他相信《圣经》是通过默感写成的。
• You won't find this moral precept in the scriptures. 你在《圣经》中找不到这种道德规范。

6 persecuted   

（尤指宗教或政治信仰的）迫害(~sb. for sth.)( persecute的过去式和过去分词 )； 烦扰，困扰或骚扰某人

参考例句：

• Throughout history, people have been persecuted for their religious beliefs. 人们因宗教信仰而受迫害的情况贯穿了整个历史。
• Members of these sects are ruthlessly persecuted and suppressed. 这些教派的成员遭到了残酷的迫害和镇压。

7 millennia   

n.一千年，千禧年

参考例句：

• For two millennia, exogamy was a major transgression for Jews. 两千年来，异族通婚一直是犹太人的一大禁忌。
• In the course of millennia, the dinosaurs died out. 在几千年的时间里，恐龙逐渐死绝了。

8 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。

9 vigilant   

adj.警觉的，警戒的，警惕的

参考例句：

• He has to learn how to remain vigilant through these long nights.他得学会如何在这漫长的黑夜里保持警觉。
• The dog kept a vigilant guard over the house.这只狗警醒地守护着这所房屋。

10 holocaust   

n.大破坏；大屠杀

参考例句：

• The Auschwitz concentration camp always remind the world of the holocaust.奥辛威茨集中营总是让世人想起大屠杀。
• Ahmadinejad is denying the holocaust because he's as brutal as Hitler was.内贾德否认大屠杀，因为他像希特勒一样残忍。

11 survivor   

n.生存者，残存者，幸存者

参考例句：

• The sole survivor of the crash was an infant.这次撞车的惟一幸存者是一个婴儿。
• There was only one survivor of the plane crash.这次飞机失事中只有一名幸存者。

12 indifference   

n.不感兴趣，不关心，冷淡，不在乎

参考例句：

• I was disappointed by his indifference more than somewhat.他的漠不关心使我很失望。
• He feigned indifference to criticism of his work.他假装毫不在意别人批评他的作品。

13 plight   

n.困境，境况，誓约，艰难；vt.宣誓，保证，约定

参考例句：

• The leader was much concerned over the plight of the refugees.那位领袖对难民的困境很担忧。
• She was in a most helpless plight.她真不知如何是好。