VOA标准英语2008年-Revenge for Danish Cartoons Blamed for Pak Blas

By Gary Thomas
Washington
02 June 2008

The uproar¹ over the 2005 publication of Danish cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad may have faded in the West, but analysts³ believe angry Islamic militants⁵ may still be seeking revenge. VOA correspondent Gary Thomas reports.
　

Pakistanis gather beside destroyed cars and the damaged building of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) adjacent to the Denmark embassy following a suicide attack in Islamabad, 02 Jun 2008

Analysts say the perpetrators of a car bombing at the Danish embassy in Islamabad Monday appear to have adhered to the old proverb that revenge is a dish best served cold.

The attack occurred more than two years after cartoons first appeared in Denmark caricaturing the Prophet Mohammad, sparking outrage⁶ in the Muslim world. Islamic precepts⁷ prohibit any depiction⁸ of the founder⁹ of their religion, much less a caricature. Denmark has faced renewed terrorist threats since several Danish newspapers reprinted one of the caricatures in February.

Christine Fair, a South Asia analyst² for the RAND Corporation, says the controversy¹⁰ over the cartoons may have faded in some areas, but not in Pakistan.

"Here in the West, these things spike¹¹ and then they taper¹² off. In other words, there's a lot of media interest, then everyone forgets about them," she said. "I'm struck when I go to Pakistan that there is just constant anger over the cartoons, and it's not something people have forgotten. Just because it's out of our media cycle doesn't mean that it's out of theirs."

Robert Richer, former deputy chief of operations for the CIA, says the attackers were patient.

"There have been a number of [Muslim] clerics, particularly based in Pakistan, who said that the Danes would pay for those cartoons," he said. "Someone decided¹³ they were going to go after that Danish target and make a point, and it's just taken them a while to get to it."

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack. Some accounts have blamed it on al-Qaida. However, analysts say that, given the large number of Islamic militant⁴ groups operating in and around Pakistan, particularly in the wild belt of tribal¹⁴ lands along the Afghan border, it is impossible to say with certainty who carried out Monday's attack.
　

Central Intelligence Agency Director General Michael Hayden (file photo)

But Richer says that a recent interview given by CIA director Michael Hayden may also have been a factor in the attack.

"General Hayden made some very strong comments about al-Qaida not necessarily being on the run, but much more tactical in nature, diminished in stature¹⁵ worldwide, particularly in nature of Saudi Arabia and Iraq," he said. "They've got to do something. You know, this may not have been an al-Qaida attack, but it is an attack that draws attention back to the fact that these groups can take action."

The Pakistan government has been carrying on peace talks with Islamic militant groups operating out of the tribal areas. Christine Fair says the attack is not necessarily linked to those peace deals, but a bombing in the center of the capital is still an embarrassment¹⁶ to the government.

"I don't think there's any reason to connect this to those deals at all, because there are so many different militant actors in Pakistan, many of whom have realigned their targeting and their priorities," she said. "But, obviously, it doesn't do well for them to be having an attack on an embassy in Islamabad.

IntelCenter, a private contractor¹⁷ that works with U.S. intelligence agencies, says an al-Qaida-produced videotape released in 2007 rejects the concept of immunity¹⁸ from attack for embassies or consulates¹⁹.

1 uproar   

n.骚动，喧嚣，鼎沸

参考例句：

• She could hear the uproar in the room.她能听见房间里的吵闹声。
• His remarks threw the audience into an uproar.他的讲话使听众沸腾起来。

2 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。

3 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。

4 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。

5 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。

6 outrage   

n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒

参考例句：

• When he heard the news he reacted with a sense of outrage.他得悉此事时义愤填膺。
• We should never forget the outrage committed by the Japanese invaders.我们永远都不应该忘记日本侵略者犯下的暴行。

7 precepts   

n.规诫，戒律，箴言( precept的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They accept the Prophet's precepts but reject some of his strictures. 他们接受先知的教训，但拒绝他的种种约束。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The legal philosopher's concern is to ascertain the true nature of all the precepts and norms. 法哲学家的兴趣在于探寻所有规范和准则的性质。 来自辞典例句

8 depiction   

n.描述

参考例句：

• Double rhythms, resounding through the lyric depiction and connecting with each other, indicate the thespian place of mankind and the cognition of the writer to this thespian place. 这双重旋律互为表里，表明了人类的某种悲剧性处境以及作家对这种悲剧性处境的感受和认识。
• A realistic depiction of scenes from everyday domestic life. 日常家居生活的写实画。

9 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

10 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

11 spike   

n.长钉，钉鞋；v.以大钉钉牢，使...失效

参考例句：

• The spike pierced the receipts and held them in order.那个钉子穿过那些收据并使之按顺序排列。
• They'll do anything to spike the guns of the opposition.他们会使出各种手段来挫败对手。

12 taper   

n.小蜡烛，尖细，渐弱；adj.尖细的；v.逐渐变小

参考例句：

• You'd better taper off the amount of time given to rest.你最好逐渐地减少休息时间。
• Pulmonary arteries taper towards periphery.肺动脉向周围逐渐变细。

13 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

14 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

15 stature   

n.（高度）水平，（高度）境界，身高，身材

参考例句：

• He is five feet five inches in stature.他身高5英尺5英寸。
• The dress models are tall of stature.时装模特儿的身材都较高。

16 embarrassment   

n.尴尬；使人为难的人(事物)；障碍；窘迫

参考例句：

• She could have died away with embarrassment.她窘迫得要死。
• Coughing at a concert can be a real embarrassment.在音乐会上咳嗽真会使人难堪。

17 contractor   

n.订约人，承包人，收缩肌

参考例句：

• The Tokyo contractor was asked to kick $ 6000 back as commission.那个东京的承包商被要求退还6000美元作为佣金。
• The style of house the contractor builds depends partly on the lay of the land.承包商所建房屋的式样，有几分要看地势而定。

18 immunity   

n.优惠；免除；豁免，豁免权

参考例句：

• The law gives public schools immunity from taxation.法律免除公立学校的纳税义务。
• He claims diplomatic immunity to avoid being arrested.他要求外交豁免以便避免被捕。

19 consulates   

n.领事馆( consulate的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Consulates General of The People's Republic at Los Angeles. 中华人民共和国驻洛杉矶总领事馆。 来自互联网
• The country's embassies, consulates and other diplomatic missions stationed in other countries. （七）家驻外使馆、馆和其他外交代表机构。 来自互联网