Muslims Struggle for Understanding in US

By Quinn Klinefelter

At a recent campaign stop near Detroit, President Bush used the stump¹ speech he's honed since the September 11 attacks. The U.S., he says, is bringing democracy to the Middle East AND making America more secure in the process.

"A free and peaceful Iraq... a free and peaceful Afghanistan... will be powerful examples in a part of the world that is desperate for freedom. Free nations do not export terror," he said.

But recent polls suggest that even in Detroit, where people brush shoulders daily with thousands of Arabs in next-door Dearborn, many Americans believe that Muslim nations do export terror, and that there is a direct connection between terrorist violence and the teachings of Islam. In the days after the World Trade Centers fell, many conservative media broadcasts painted Islam as an "evil" religion requiring followers² to kill. It left leaders of Muslim community groups in Dearborn, like the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee's Imad Hamad, with something to prove.

"The national tragedy of September 11 truly tarnished³ the image of Islam by the name of the few terrorists who committed that horrible acts," says Mr. Hamad. "The Muslim-American community felt compelled to respond and to be more open-minded and more determined⁴ to set the record straight. And not to judge any faith, regardless of what it is, by the few who might be extremists or be too conservative."

In fact, some Muslim clerics in Dearborn are working like never before to expose Islam to the masses.

The American Muslim Center in Dearborn was once an abandoned church. But Imam Mohammed Mardini remodeled it three years ago. Recently, he's also been working hard to put a new gloss⁵ on his faith. Over the vocal⁶ objections of some elderly members of his congregation, Imam Mardini allowed women to break Islamic tenets by not covering their hair in public and to enter the mosque⁷ through doors typically reserved for men.

Imam Mardini says, especially after the September 11 attacks, Muslims need to help their neighbors to understand this complex religion.

"Even the Muslims who come, born and raised here, they learned their life and they are all-American. But they are Muslim and they go everywhere," he says. "But they choose not to cover their hair. Are they disbelievers? No! God said to them to cover, but if they don't this is their choice. Our duty for them, to remind them, to admonish⁸ them...Not to fight with them or isolate⁹ them or say they are not a believer...no."

The Imam admits it's hard for the most conservative of his congregation to accept change, when some persistently¹⁰ believe the war in Iraq and against terror are signs that the U.S. wants to wipe out all Muslims. "Many of these people, they don't understand the system," he adds. "Many of these people, they may have felt like this is directed against them. But I tell them, we all in the same boat, whether they emigrated today or emigrated 20 years ago or their ancestors emigrated 150 years ago. And I will say this, liberty and freedom has a price to be paid for."

Yet according to one of the oldest, most revered¹¹ clerics in Dearborn, a man known by many as the "Godfather of Imams," there's also a cost if Muslims stray too far from the strictest of their teachings. But Abdul Latif Berry says Muslims CAN obey both Islamic law and the rules of the west.

"When the Muslim woman has a scarf, for instance, all of them work freely while they follow the rules of Islam, as they following the laws here," he explains. Still, Berry agrees with his fellow Imam Mardini, that moderate Islamic leaders must publicly define the principles of their faith to counter extremists who have been using Islam to justify¹² their acts of terrorism.

Imam Berry says Islam expressly forbids killing¹³ children or kidnapping and executing innocents, acts carried out with appalling¹⁴ frequency by insurgents¹⁵ from Iraq to Chechnya. On a recent visit to his native Lebanon, Imam Berry says many people told him they were just as concerned about the devastating¹⁶ impact of U.S. military actions than by the violence perpetrated by Islamic extremists. To allay¹⁷ those fears, Imam Berry says, Muslims in the Middle East need exposure to the reality of a tolerant, open and democratic America. "To breathe America like air. Not to feel afraid from America," he says. "This is very important. The message of America, according to my understanding, is to attract people in the world, to let people love America. It's why I think most of the people in the world has some connection with America."

But Imam Berry says too many Muslims he's seen, in Lebanon and Dearborn, have become disillusioned¹⁸ by a U.S. foreign policy they no longer regard as a beacon¹⁹ for justice and peace.

"Step by step, maybe during 10 years, 15 years, 20 years, we can find a good result," he adds. "But to make war and force people to do something like this, it's impossible. You will put America in the corner, in the spot. This is what we fear right now. Because this kind of action can make terrorism. So it's what we see in Iraq."

Instead, the Imam says, the United States should cooperate with countries surrounding Iraq to find a joint²⁰ solution to create a stable country. But some of those nations have been cited by the Bush Administration for harboring terrorists. As a result, U.S. policy analysts²¹ say, regional cooperation is unlikely anytime soon. So Imams in Dearborn, from fundamentalists like Abdul Latif Berry to moderates like Imam Mohammed Mardini, say they will battle the taint²² of extremism in Islam by trying to ensure that their mosques²³ are as open as is humanly possible.

注释:
export 输出
Detroit 底特律
compelled 强迫
extremist 极端主义(者)
Dearborn 迪尔伯恩(美国一城市)
abandoned 被废弃的
Imam [伊斯兰]阿訇
Mohammed 穆罕默德
mosque 清真寺
admonish 训诫
congregation 集合
stray 偏离
expressly 明白地
kidnapp 诱拐
executing 处死
appalling 骇人听闻的
frequency 频率
devastating 破坏性的
disillusion 醒悟
fundamentalist 信奉正统派基督教的人

1 stump   

n.残株，烟蒂，讲演台；v.砍断，蹒跚而走

参考例句：

• He went on the stump in his home state.他到故乡所在的州去发表演说。
• He used the stump as a table.他把树桩用作桌子。

2 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

3 tarnished   

（通常指金属）（使）失去光泽，（使）变灰暗( tarnish的过去式和过去分词 )； 玷污，败坏

参考例句：

• The mirrors had tarnished with age. 这些镜子因年深日久而照影不清楚。
• His bad behaviour has tarnished the good name of the school. 他行为不轨，败坏了学校的声誉。

4 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

5 gloss   

n.光泽，光滑；虚饰；注释；vt.加光泽于；掩饰

参考例句：

• John tried in vain to gloss over his faults.约翰极力想掩饰自己的缺点，但是没有用。
• She rubbed up the silver plates to a high gloss.她把银盘擦得很亮。

6 vocal   

adj.直言不讳的；嗓音的；n.[pl.]声乐节目

参考例句：

• The tongue is a vocal organ.舌头是一个发音器官。
• Public opinion at last became vocal.终于舆论哗然。

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 admonish   

v.训戒；警告；劝告

参考例句：

• I will tactfully admonish him not to behave like this again.我会婉转的规诫他不要再这样做。
• Admonish your friends privately,but praise them openly.要私下告戒朋友，但是要公开夸奖朋友。

9 isolate   

vt.使孤立，隔离

参考例句：

• Do not isolate yourself from others.不要把自己孤立起来。
• We should never isolate ourselves from the masses.我们永远不能脱离群众。

10 persistently   

ad.坚持地；固执地

参考例句：

• He persistently asserted his right to a share in the heritage. 他始终声称他有分享那笔遗产的权利。
• She persistently asserted her opinions. 她果断地说出了自己的意见。

11 revered   

v.崇敬，尊崇，敬畏( revere的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• A number of institutions revered and respected in earlier times have become Aunt Sally for the present generation. 一些早年受到尊崇的惯例，现在已经成了这代人嘲弄的对象了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Chinese revered corn as a gift from heaven. 中国人将谷物奉为上天的恩赐。 来自辞典例句

12 justify   

vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护

参考例句：

• He tried to justify his absence with lame excuses.他想用站不住脚的借口为自己的缺席辩解。
• Can you justify your rude behavior to me?你能向我证明你的粗野行为是有道理的吗？

13 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

14 appalling   

adj.骇人听闻的，令人震惊的，可怕的

参考例句：

• The search was hampered by appalling weather conditions.恶劣的天气妨碍了搜寻工作。
• Nothing can extenuate such appalling behaviour.这种骇人听闻的行径罪无可恕。

15 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

16 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

17 allay   

v.消除，减轻(恐惧、怀疑等)

参考例句：

• The police tried to allay her fears but failed.警察力图减轻她的恐惧，但是没有收到什么效果。
• They are trying to allay public fears about the spread of the disease.他们正竭力减轻公众对这种疾病传播的恐惧。

18 disillusioned   

a.不再抱幻想的，大失所望的，幻想破灭的

参考例句：

• I soon became disillusioned with the job. 我不久便对这个工作不再抱幻想了。
• Many people who are disillusioned in reality assimilate life to a dream. 许多对现实失望的人把人生比作一场梦。

19 beacon   

n.烽火，（警告用的）闪火灯，灯塔

参考例句：

• The blink of beacon could be seen for miles.灯塔的光亮在数英里之外都能看见。
• The only light over the deep black sea was the blink shone from the beacon.黑黢黢的海面上唯一的光明就只有灯塔上闪现的亮光了。

20 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

21 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。

22 taint   

n.污点；感染；腐坏；v.使感染；污染

参考例句：

• Everything possible should be done to free them from the economic taint.应尽可能把他们从经济的腐蚀中解脱出来。
• Moral taint has spread among young people.道德的败坏在年轻人之间蔓延。

23 mosques   

清真寺； 伊斯兰教寺院，清真寺； 清真寺，伊斯兰教寺院( mosque的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Why make us believe that this tunnel runs underneath the mosques? 为什么要让我们相信这条隧洞是在清真寺下？
• The city's three biggest mosques, long fallen into disrepair, have been renovated. 城里最大的三座清真寺，过去年久失修，现在已经修复。