VOA慢速英语2021--维权人士质疑阿富汗教育部“女孩公开唱歌”的禁令

Rights Activists² Dispute Afghan Singing Ban for Girls

A message from Afghanistan's education ministry³ that banned girls over 11 years old from singing at events has received a lot of attention recently.

News of the ban has spread on social media. Afghan officials have reacted by saying the memo⁴ was a mistake. They said that the writers of the document misunderstood the memo's goal.

However, the hashtag #IAmMySong is gaining popularity on Twitter. Some Afghan girls are singing their favorite songs on video and putting their performances on the internet.

Rights groups want to ensure that human rights gains of the last 20 years in Afghanistan remain central to peace talks with insurgents⁵. The Afghan government is trying to negotiate a peace agreement with Taliban rebels.

Sima Samar has been an Afghan human rights activist¹ for nearly 40 years. Speaking about the memo, she said, "This is Talibanization from inside the country."

When they ruled the country, the Taliban denied girls the right to education. Music, except religious songs, was banned for everyone, as was television.

The disputed memo was sent to all schools in Kabul. However, it was canceled, said ministry spokeswoman Najiba Arian. She said the memo writers had misunderstood its purpose. A new memo was sent after the first one. It said music groups for secondary school girls and boys are banned.

The real goal was to prevent boys and girls from going to public events that could spread the coronavirus, she said. Afghanistan has recorded more than 55,000 cases of the virus and 2,451 deaths. But there has not been enough testing and the real numbers are believed to be higher.

The hashtag campaign was started by Ahmad Sarmast, the founder⁷ of Afghanistan's Institute of Music. He began #IAmMySong to let officials know "that the people of Afghanistan oppose this decision and they will stand for the rights of the children, whether boys or girls."

Haroon Baluch is with BytesforAll, a Pakistan-based rights organization that studies internet traffic. He said that the hashtag has gotten over 600,000 clicks and continues to grow.

The Associated Press looked at a copy of the memo, which does not talk about the pandemic or health concerns.

It states that educators in Kabul, the government and private companies are "seriously advised" not to let females aged⁸ 12 and up sing at events. The only exception is at all-female gatherings⁹.

The memo also says that only female teachers can teach music to girls older than 12 years of age.

Sima Samar said the directive violates basic human rights. She also said it violates the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Children, an agreement Afghanistan signed.

Sarmast of the Institute of Music said the memo violates both national and international law.

After the reaction to the first memo, a second one went out but it too was criticized. It reportedly bans both boys and girls older than 12 from singing or performing in public. Sarmast said it takes "the right of choice and freedom of expression away from all students in secondary and high schools."

The education ministry has had to deal with other problems recently. In December, it was criticized after suggesting that children in first through third grade be taught in Muslim religious centers known as mosques¹⁰. After a strong reaction, the ministry made a correction. The ministry said it meant that, in poor rural areas where there are no school buildings available, mosques are the only choice.

Words in This Story

memo (memorandum) –n. a short, written message or report form one person or department in a company or organization to another

hashtag –n. a word or phrase that starts with the symbol # and that shows what a message, such as a tweet, is about

insurgent⁶ –n. a person who fights against an established government

click –n. the act of choosing something on a computer screen by pressing a button on a mouse or some other device

1 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

2 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

4 memo   

n.照会，备忘录；便笺；通知书；规章

参考例句：

• Do you want me to send the memo out?您要我把这份备忘录分发出去吗？
• Can you type a memo for me?您能帮我打一份备忘录吗？

5 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

6 insurgent   

adj.叛乱的，起事的；n.叛乱分子

参考例句：

• Faruk says they are threatened both by insurgent and government forces.法鲁克说，他们受到暴乱分子和政府军队的双重威胁。
• The insurgent mob assembled at the gate of the city park.叛变的暴徒聚在市立公园的门口。

7 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。

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 gatherings   

聚集( gathering的名词复数 )； 收集； 采集； 搜集

参考例句：

• His conduct at social gatherings created a lot of comment. 他在社交聚会上的表现引起许多闲话。
• During one of these gatherings a pupil caught stealing. 有一次，其中一名弟子偷窃被抓住。

10 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。