2007年VOA标准英语-Analysts Say Pakistan Mosque Standoff Sets Stag

By Benjamin Sand
Islamabad
13 July 2007

Pakistan's military operation against radical¹ extremists in Islamabad's Red Mosque² is now over, but fresh questions are being raised as security concerns rise. From Islamabad, VOA correspondent Benjamin Sand looks at the political impact the bloody³ siege has had on Pakistan's embattled president, Pervez Musharraf.

Pakistani commandos clear area as chief cleric of Islamabad's radical Red mosque Maulana Abdul Aziz arrives at Anti-Terrorist court in armored car in Rawalpindi, 12 Jul 2007

Military officials lead journalists through the smoking remains⁴ of Islamabad's Red Mosque, pointing out what they call evidence of suicide bomb attacks and militant⁵ activity.

Major General Waheed Arshad briefed reporters while standing⁶ outside a room piled high with machine guns and rocket launchers and DVD's with titles like "To Jihad" and "Death to Spies".

"Seeing the arms and ammunition⁷, seeing the way the rooms are being used, the way this place was being used for militant training, I'm sure everybody is now clear this was not a benign⁸ madrassah which was only looking at education," he said.

militants9 in Islamabad, 10 July 2007" hspace="2" src="/upimg/allimg/070716/1340061.jpg" width="181" vspace="2" border="0" />

Smoke rises from Lal Masjid during heavy gunbattle between Pakistan troops and militants in Islamabad, 10 July 2007

But outside the mosque complex the assault has raised more questions than answers.

Hard-line Islamist lawmakers accuse the government of covering up the real death toll¹⁰ from the siege, which ended Wednesday after the military stormed the mosque.

President Pervez Musharraf says 75 people inside the mosque were killed along with 10 soldiers. Militants and students from the mosque had holed up there more than a week ago after a clash with troops in front of the complex.

Critics say at least 400 people, perhaps as many as 1,000 people, were really killed, and their bodies buried in unmarked graves outside the capital.

The charges are impossible to verify, but since they have been widely reported, could damage the increasingly unpopular president.

Political analyst¹¹ Shafqat Mahmood says the standoff has set the stage for a confrontation¹² between the president and the country's religious hard-liners.

"Among the many fault lines in the country one sees most of these lines sharpening," he said.

The Red Mosque had long fostered Islamic militancy¹³. In recent months, its leaders had vowed¹⁴ to impose Islamic law on Islamabad, and its students had kidnapped police officers and women they accused of being prostitutes.

Among those killed was the mosque's most militant cleric, who had told journalists earlier he hoped his death would spark an Islamic revolution.

Militants are demanding revenge. On Friday, the government tightened¹⁵ security around mosques¹⁶ and public buildings, out of fears that protesters would take to the streets.

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf addresses the nation on radio and Pakistan State Television in Islamabad, 12 Jul 2007, after the raid on Red Mosque

President Musharraf has vowed to redouble efforts to defeat extremism and appealed for national unity¹⁷ to help finish the fight.

However many moderates question his resolve. They note he has repeatedly threatened crackdowns against extremists in the past but stopped short of a sustained confrontation.

The standoff at the Red Mosque occurred after Mr. Musharraf had faced months of protests over his dismissal of the country's chief justice.

With elections expected later this year, political analysts¹⁸ say the president is perhaps more vulnerable now than ever before.

1 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

2 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。

3 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。

4 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。

5 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。

6 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

7 ammunition   

n.军火，弹药

参考例句：

• A few of the jeeps had run out of ammunition.几辆吉普车上的弹药已经用光了。
• They have expended all their ammunition.他们把弹药用光。

8 benign   

adj.善良的，慈祥的；良性的，无危险的

参考例句：

• The benign weather brought North America a bumper crop.温和的气候给北美带来大丰收。
• Martha is a benign old lady.玛莎是个仁慈的老妇人。

9 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。

10 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

11 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

12 confrontation   

n.对抗，对峙，冲突

参考例句：

• We can't risk another confrontation with the union.我们不能冒再次同工会对抗的危险。
• After years of confrontation,they finally have achieved a modus vivendi.在对抗很长时间后，他们最后达成安宁生存的非正式协议。

13 militancy   

n.warlike behavior or tendency

参考例句：

• Full of militancy and revolutionary ardour, the people of all nationalities in the country are working hard for the realization of the four modernizations. 全国各族人民意气风发， 斗志昂扬，为实现四个现代化而奋战。
• The seniority system is another factor that leads to union militancy. 排资论辈制度也是导致工会好斗争的另一因素。

14 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

15 tightened   

收紧( tighten的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）变紧； （使）绷紧； 加紧

参考例句：

• The rope holding the boat suddenly tightened and broke. 系船的绳子突然绷断了。
• His index finger tightened on the trigger but then relaxed again. 他的食指扣住扳机，然后又松开了。

16 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。

17 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

18 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。