VOA常速英语2014--U.S. Supports Religious Freedom Around The World 美国支持全球宗教自由（在线收听）

U.S. Supports Religious Freedom Around The World 美国支持全球宗教自由

The Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan social science fact tank [research organization], recently released a report on religious hostilities. According to the study, in 2012 members of religious groups were harassed in 166 countries, more than in any of the previous five years.

皮尤研究中心，一个无党派的社会科学事实 [调查组织]，最近发布了一份关于宗教战争的报告。根据报告内容显示，2012年，166个国家里的宗教团体的成员遭受到骚扰，比之前的任何5年都要多。

Globally, the overall level of restrictions on religion has reached a six year high. Now over 5.3 billion people – or 76 percent of the world’s population – live in places with high or very high restrictions on religion, up from 68 percent in 2007.

纵观全球，宗教限制的总体水平已经达到了六年高位。如今，超过53亿人口-或者说全球从2007年的68%上升到76%的人口-生活在对宗教信仰限制严格或者说限制很严格的地方。

Two of the seven major religious groups monitored by the study – Muslims and Jews – experienced a six-year high in the number of countries in which they were harassed by governments or civil society.  As in previous years, the study finds that Christians and Muslims – who together make up more than half of the global population – were harassed in the largest number of countries (110 and 109, respectively). 

研究报告中提到的7个主要宗教团体中的两个-穆斯林和犹太教-在受到政府或者民间团体骚扰的国家中正处于六年宗教信仰限制的高位时期。在前几年，研究发现基督教和穆斯林-合起来的人口超过全球人口的一半-在大多数的国家里遭到了骚扰。（分别是110和109个国家）

The study was released in advance of national Religious Freedom Day, celebrated in the U.S. on January 16. In a proclamation honoring this occasion, President Barack Obama said, “America proudly stands with people of every nation who seek to think, believe, and practice their faiths as they choose…  [The U.S.] will remain committed to promoting religious freedom, both at home and across the globe. We urge every country to recognize religious freedom as both a universal right and a key to a stable, prosperous and peaceful future.”

研究报告在美国1月16日庆祝的国际宗教自由日之前发布。在一个公共纪念场合，总统巴拉克·奥巴马说，“美国很自豪地和美国国家追求自己的想法，信仰的人站在一起，并且实行他们选择的信仰……[美国]决定在本国或者全球致力于推进宗教的自由。我们将会鼓励每个国家去把宗教自由当作是一种普遍的权利和维护国家稳定，国家繁荣和平将来的关键。”

In a statement issued on Religious Freedom Day, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power commented on the Pew Research Center report and said the United States is proud to lead the fight against all forms of religious intolerance, wherever they exist. “Protecting freedom of religion,” she stated, “is a cornerstone of American foreign policy, carried out by prioritizing accountability for religiously-motivated violence, urging governments to adopt legal protections for religious minorities, and promoting societal respect for religious diversity.”

在宗教自由日发布的一份声明里，美国驻联合国大使萨曼莎·鲍尔 对皮尤研究中心的报告做出了评论并表示，美国很自豪地领导各种形式的无论存在何处的宗教暴力做斗争。她说，“保护宗教自由是美国外交政策的奠基石。通过宗教暴力动机的优先责任制来实施，督促政府通过法律保护少数民族的宗教，并且推进社会对宗教多样性的尊重。”