2015年CRI Keeping Pace with Time Makes Me Progressive: The Imam in the Internet Era

 

It is 6 in the morning. The sun is rising over a village Mosque¹ in Hutubi, a county 80 kilometers away from Xinjiang's capital city Urumqi. 48-year-old imam Yang Jie has just finished his 1-hour early morning exercise. Putting down the fitness equipment, the tall Hui man wearing a white prayer cap is ready to lead the first prayer of the day.

"My daily duty is hosting religious affairs in the mosque, including leading prayers 5 times a day. The first prayer begins at six twenty. I became an Imam on May 27th, 1993. It has been 22 years."

Wearing a pair of glasses and with a gentle smile on his face, Yang Jie easily reminds people of the ancient Chinese saying of "Keeping a classy demander, graceful² as a jade³." As the religious leader of the village, he is a warm-hearted friend to more than 200 followers⁴. However, what makes him well-known is his role as a "trendsetter".

"After finishing the first prayer, It's 7 o' clock. I often check my WeChat group on my iPhone for more than an hour, to see what my followers are talking about, if there are any questions for me to answer. I will share verses from the Quran or the Hadith in my WeChat groups, words that exude⁶ positive energy. Some believers are illiterate⁷, but they can learn something positive by being in this chat group. Take a look, I just posted something in my WeChat friends circle for moments. Already, 14 people have commented on my post."

Wechat is one of the most widely used social media platforms in China nowadays. As the first to use cellphone, the Internet and WeChat among the religious people in the city of Changji, imam Yang Jie has led these new-tech trends. However, things were quite different years ago.

"I began using a cellphone in 1998, which was 17 years ago. At the beginning, many followers and locals couldn't understand. Some religious people and other Imams, they didn't understand either. Many believers said only businessmen use cellphones, and that it wasn't proper for an Imam to be using one. Their impression of an imam was an aged⁸ man wearing a robe and keeping long beard."

Yang Jie says it is definitely stereotyping⁹. In order to change people's mindset, he decided¹⁰ to withstand the pressure and take a lead to do things he believes are right. He is the one who told villagers investing in stock markets does not contradict their belief system. He also encouraged villages to use the Internet and helped them set up broadband.

The open-minded religious leader says he believes nowadays imams should use modern concepts to show followers a better life.

"Now they often ask me about new things online. I think imams are not only carriers and the spokesmen of traditional culture; they are also communicators and practitioners¹¹ of modern knowledge. What Imams say and do will have an impact, directly or indirectly¹², on life and development of other Muslims."

Of course, that does not overshadow his prime mission, which is conveying religious wisdom to people.

"Many followers believe that they were born to bear sufferings. I tell them Allah will bring happiness to people. Allah created this world and the human being, so the human being is tasked with making this world more beautiful. People should make this world better instead of ruining it. People should always put the needs of others in mind, because a person's self-achievement lies in whether the one can help others."

Like he says, Yang has always been trying his best to extend a helping¹³ hand.

"I keep my cell phone on 24 hours a day so I can answer their request as soon as possible. When a follower⁵ is dying and waiting for the imam to come, I will clean myself and dress up before carrying out religious at the hospital. This is part of my duty."

For years, welcoming newborns and bidding farewell to the deceased have been part of Yang Jie's life. For him, it is not just his belief system, but also his simple yet devout¹⁴ lifestyle that makes him respect life.

1 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。

2 graceful   

adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的

参考例句：

• His movements on the parallel bars were very graceful.他的双杠动作可帅了!
• The ballet dancer is so graceful.芭蕾舞演员的姿态是如此的优美。

3 jade   

n.玉石；碧玉；翡翠

参考例句：

• The statue was carved out of jade.这座塑像是玉雕的。
• He presented us with a couple of jade lions.他送给我们一对玉狮子。

4 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。

5 follower   

n.跟随者；随员；门徒；信徒

参考例句：

• He is a faithful follower of his home football team.他是他家乡足球队的忠实拥护者。
• Alexander is a pious follower of the faith.亚历山大是个虔诚的信徒。

6 exude   

v.(使)流出，(使)渗出

参考例句：

• Some successful men exude self-confidence.有些成功的人流露出自信。
• The sun made him exude sweat.烈日晒得他汗流浃背。

7 illiterate   

adj.文盲的；无知的；n.文盲

参考例句：

• There are still many illiterate people in our country.在我国还有许多文盲。
• I was an illiterate in the old society,but now I can read.我这个旧社会的文盲，今天也认字了。

8 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

9 stereotyping   

v.把…模式化，使成陈规( stereotype的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• I realize that I'm stereotyping. 我认识到我搞的是老一套。 来自辞典例句
• There is none of the gender stereotyping usually evident in school uniforms. 有没有人的性别刻板印象通常是显而易见的。 来自互联网

10 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。

11 practitioners   

n.习艺者，实习者( practitioner的名词复数 )；从业者（尤指医师）

参考例句：

• one of the greatest practitioners of science fiction 最了不起的科幻小说家之一
• The technique is experimental, but the list of its practitioners is growing. 这种技术是试验性的，但是采用它的人正在增加。 来自辞典例句

12 indirectly   

adv.间接地，不直接了当地

参考例句：

• I heard the news indirectly.这消息我是间接听来的。
• They were approached indirectly through an intermediary.通过一位中间人，他们进行了间接接触。

13 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

14 devout   

adj.虔诚的，虔敬的，衷心的 (n.devoutness)

参考例句：

• His devout Catholicism appeals to ordinary people.他对天主教的虔诚信仰感染了普通民众。
• The devout man prayed daily.那位虔诚的男士每天都祈祷。