VOA标准英语2009年-Al-Shabab Militants Enforce Laws Alien to

In Somalia, militant¹ Islamists have begun enforcing new laws in the areas they control that are challenging the views of many traditionally moderate Muslims in the country.

The leader of al-Shabab militants² in Somalia's Banadir region, which includes the capital Mogadishu, says all women living in towns and districts under al-Shabab control must now cover themselves completely or face severe punishment.

Ali Mohamud Hussein says al-Shabab will not tolerate anyone who disobeys the order.

Hussein says in the Koran, Allah orders all women to be covered from head-to-toe and that is why the law is being strictly³ enforced.

Traditional Somali clothing for women consist of light, colorful fabrics⁴ that cover the head and are wrapped loosely around the body. But al-Shabab says the only acceptable clothing now is the black Islamic dresses known as abayas worn by women in countries such as Saudi Arabia.

Al-Shabab is an al-Qaida-linked group that has been leading a bloody⁵ insurgency⁶ against Somalia's U.N.-backed government for more than two years. The group is a U.S. designated terrorist organization.

Al-Shabab militants control vast areas of southern Somalia, including several major districts in the capital Mogadishu, and have imposed laws based on the ultra-conservative Wahabist version of Islam practiced in Saudi Arabia. Al-Shabab has stoned women accused of adultery and amputated limbs of suspected thieves.

But Somalis say the militants have begun interpreting Islamic laws to levels that even many Saudis may consider harsh.

Somali women in Mogadishu say al-Shabab has warned them that they would face punishment if they wore bras under their abayas because the group considers bras to be Western garments and un-Islamic. And in the port town of Marka, just south of Mogadishu, young al-Shabab fighters are reportedly rounding up men and women who have silver or gold teeth.

According to residents there, the people are taken to a man, who uses his bare hands or pliers to rip the metal teeth out of their mouths. The residents say the militants have told them that they consider such fancy dental implants⁷ to be against Islamic laws that call for Muslims to practice humility⁸.

During the six-month rule of the Islamic Courts Union in 2006, al-Shabab and other Islamists gained popular support for imposing⁹ law and order in a country that had seen nothing but clan-based fighting and chaos¹⁰ since the fall of the country's last functioning government in 1991.

The Ethiopian invasion of Somalia in December, 2006 drove al-Shabab underground and since then it has returned as a fearsome, far-more-radical guerrilla force. In recent months, al-Shabab has invited hundreds of foreign fighters to Somalia to help train new recruits and to topple the seven-month old government of President Sharif Sheik Ahmed.

President Sharif is a former Islamist opposition¹¹ leader, who was elected president in January under a U.N.-sponsored deal that was condemned¹² by al-Shabab and other Islamist groups.

But some Somali and Western analysts¹³ say al-Shabab's ties to foreign groups such as al-Qaida and its strict interpretations¹⁴ of Islam have begun alienating¹⁵ many ordinary Somalis. This, they say, may create an opportunity for President Sharif to implement¹⁶ much-needed reforms and build credibility with Somalis, who have questioned the legitimacy¹⁷ of the shaky government and his ability to lead it.

1 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

2 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

3 strictly   

adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地

参考例句：

• His doctor is dieting him strictly.他的医生严格规定他的饮食。
• The guests were seated strictly in order of precedence.客人严格按照地位高低就座。

4 fabrics   

织物( fabric的名词复数 )； 布； 构造； （建筑物的）结构（如墙、地面、屋顶）：质地

参考例句：

• cotton fabrics and synthetics 棉织物与合成织物
• The fabrics are merchandised through a network of dealers. 通过经销网点销售纺织品。

5 bloody   

adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染

参考例句：

• He got a bloody nose in the fight.他在打斗中被打得鼻子流血。
• He is a bloody fool.他是一个十足的笨蛋。

6 insurgency   

n.起义；暴动；叛变

参考例句：

• And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国，动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
• Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网

7 implants   

n.（植入身体中的）移植物( implant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Hormone implants are used as growth boosters. 激素植入物被用作生长辅助剂。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Perhaps the most far-reaching project is an initiative called Living Implants From Engineering (LIFE). 也许最具深远意义的项目，是刚刚启动的建造活体移植工程 (LIFE)。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 医学的第四次革命

8 humility   

n.谦逊，谦恭

参考例句：

• Humility often gains more than pride.谦逊往往比骄傲收益更多。
• His voice was still soft and filled with specious humility.他的声音还是那么温和，甚至有点谦卑。

9 imposing   

adj.使人难忘的，壮丽的，堂皇的，雄伟的

参考例句：

• The fortress is an imposing building.这座城堡是一座宏伟的建筑。
• He has lost his imposing appearance.他已失去堂堂仪表。

10 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

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 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。

13 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。

14 interpretations   

n.解释( interpretation的名词复数 )；表演；演绎；理解

参考例句：

• This passage is open to a variety of interpretations. 这篇文章可以有各种不同的解释。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The involved and abstruse passage makes several interpretations possible. 这段艰涩的文字可以作出好几种解释。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

15 alienating   

v.使疏远( alienate的现在分词 )；使不友好；转让；让渡（财产等）

参考例句：

• The phenomena of alienation are widespread. Sports are also alienating. 异化现象普遍存在，体育运动也不例外。 来自互联网
• How can you appeal to them without alienating the mainstream crowd? 你是怎么在不疏忽主流玩家的情况下吸引住他们呢？ 来自互联网

16 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

17 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。