2015年经济学人 塞拉利昂的宗教 对他们而言都是幸福的事情

Religion in Sierra Leone

All things happily to all men

Sierra Leone bucks¹ a west African trend by celebrating its religious tolerance²

THE minibuses that ferry Sierra Leoneans around their capital, Freetown, bear a variety of religious slogans.

“Trust in Allah,” reads one, while others evoke³ the power of Christ. But one stands out.

Somewhere, plying⁴ the potholed streets, is a bus bearing the words “God loves Allah”.

Sierra Leone takes religious tolerance seriously.

Not only are relations between the two main religious groups in the west African country cordial, but it is not unusual to be both Christian⁵ and Muslim.

Hassan Kargbo is one of thousands of Sierra Leoneans who have become known as a “ChrisMus”.

He identifies himself as a Muslim, but also believes in Christianity. Before he starts work on Sundays, he goes to church.

He visits a mosque⁶ every day. “I see it as the same religion,” he says, sporting a Jesus bracelet⁷. “All of us say it's the same god that we're worshipping.”，

Hold onto your faiths, all of them

Kelfala Conteh is a caretaker at the oldest mosque in Freetown. “Of course Christians⁸ come here,” he says with pride.

“We have both Christians and Muslims praying side by side. No fighting. Jesus was the messenger to tell the people to worship the one god.

I respect him after Muhammad. I believe in the Bible and the Koran.”

Sierra Leone straddles Africa's religious equator, where the Muslim north meets the Christian south.

Other countries in the region are experiencing religious violence, with Islamist militants⁹ creating mayhem in the Central African Republic, Mali and Nigeria.

But in Sierra Leone the president, Ernest Bai Koroma, a Christian, was elected by voters who are roughly 70% Muslim.

His vice-president is a Muslim. Marriage across sectarian lines is common, as are conversions¹⁰.

Neither religion played a part in the county's civil war in the 1990s. “We all believe in one God,” says Wurie Bah, a Muslim from Freetown.

“If my friends invite me to church, of course I will go.”

1 bucks   

n.雄鹿( buck的名词复数 )；钱；（英国十九世纪初的）花花公子；（用于某些表达方式）责任v.（马等）猛然弓背跃起( buck的第三人称单数 )；抵制；猛然震荡；马等尥起后蹄跳跃

参考例句：

• They cost ten bucks. 这些值十元钱。
• They are hunting for bucks. 他们正在猎雄兔。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 tolerance   

n.宽容；容忍，忍受；耐药力；公差

参考例句：

• Tolerance is one of his strengths.宽容是他的一个优点。
• Human beings have limited tolerance of noise.人类对噪音的忍耐力有限。

3 evoke   

vt.唤起，引起，使人想起

参考例句：

• These images are likely to evoke a strong response in the viewer.这些图像可能会在观众中产生强烈反响。
• Her only resource was the sympathy she could evoke.她以凭借的唯一力量就是她能从人们心底里激起的同情。

4 plying   

v.使用（工具）( ply的现在分词 )；经常供应（食物、饮料）；固定往来；经营生意

参考例句：

• All manner of hawkers and street sellers were plying their trade. 形形色色的沿街小贩都在做着自己的买卖。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• It was rather Mrs. Wang who led the conversation, plying Miss Liu with questions. 倒是汪太太谈锋甚健，向刘小姐问长问短。 来自汉英文学 - 围城

5 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

6 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。

7 bracelet   

n.手镯，臂镯

参考例句：

• The jeweler charges lots of money to set diamonds in a bracelet.珠宝匠要很多钱才肯把钻石镶在手镯上。
• She left her gold bracelet as a pledge.她留下她的金手镯作抵押品。

8 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

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 conversions   

变换( conversion的名词复数 )； （宗教、信仰等）彻底改变； （尤指为居住而）改建的房屋； 橄榄球（触地得分后再把球射中球门的）附加得分

参考例句：

• He kicked a penalty goal and two conversions, ie in Rugby football. 他一次罚球得分，两次触地后射门得分（在橄榄球赛中）。
• Few of the intermediates or enzymes involved in these conversions have been isolated from higher plants. 在这些转变中包含的少数中间产物或酶已经从高等植物中分离出来。