Bombing Kills 15 in Karachi Mosque

 

Michael Kitchen

A bombing at a major Shiite Muslim mosque¹ in Pakistan's largest city, Karachi, has left at least 15 people dead and dozens injured. The incident has prompted violent rioting in the area. The blast marks the second act of apparent religious violence there in as many days.
The explosion caused massive damage at the Imam Bargah Ali Raza mosque, a major Shiite house of worship in downtown Karachi.
Police say a bomb was planted inside the mosque and detonated during Monday evening prayers.
A witness standing² in front of the building at the time of the explosion describes a blinding flash of light and scattered³ human remains⁴.
The explosives used were strong enough to damage the mosques⁵ dome⁶, high above the prayer hall, and to shatter the windows of surrounding buildings.
The incident sparked rioting in the area, with an angry crowd torching two gas stations and a police car, while chanting anti-government slogans and Shiite religious mottos.
Some rioters also expressed anger at the United States, which, though allied⁷ with Pakistan, is often seen by some religious Pakistanis as seeking to undermine the Muslim world.
The blast occurred one day after the assassination⁸ of Mufti Nizamuddin Shamzai, a well-respected cleric among Pakistan's majority Sunni Muslims.
Mr. Shamzai's killing⁹ prompted citywide rioting, which subsided¹⁰ following the religious leader's funeral that evening.
Pakistani Interior Secretary Abdur-Rauf Chaudry told VOA the mosque bombing is likely a response by Sunni extremists to the assassination.
"It is a chain reaction," he said. "Yesterday's killing [of Mufti Nizamuddin Shamzai] was a very high-profile killing, and we were apprehensive¹¹ of the backlash, which happened more quickly than we expected."
While Pakistan's majority Sunni and minority Shiite Muslims normally have good relations, extremists on both sides have committed acts of sectarian terrorism against each other's populations.
Mr. Chaudry said the central government has deployed¹² army rangers¹⁴, and is seriously concerned over the deteriorating¹⁵ security situation in Karachi.
注释：
Shiite [5Fi:ait] adj. 什叶派的
Muslim [5mQzlem] n. 穆斯林
mosque [mCsk] n. 清真寺
Karachi [kE5rB:tFi] n.卡拉奇
prompt [prRmpt] vt. 激起，引起
rioting [5raiEtiN] n. 暴乱，骚乱
massive [5mAsiv] adj. 巨大的
Imam [i5mB:m] n. 伊玛姆（伊斯兰教领袖的称号）
detonate [5detEuneit] v. 引爆
prayer [prZE] n. 祈祷，祷告
remains [rI5meIns] n. 遗体
dome [dEum] n. 圆屋顶
torch [tC:tF] vt. 用火把点燃
chant [tFB:nt] vt. 反复呼喊
slogan [5slEu^En] n. 口号，标语
motto [5mCtEu] n. 座右铭，格言
undermine [7QndE5main] v. 破坏
assassination [E7sAsi5neiFEn] n. 暗杀
cleric [5klerik] n. 牧师，传教士
Sunni [5suni:] adj. （伊斯兰）逊尼派的
subside [sEb5said] v. 平息
high-profile adj. 高水平的
sectarian [sek5tZEriEn] adj. 宗派的，教派的
terrorism [5terErIz(E)m] n. 恐怖行动
ranger¹³ [5reindVE] n. 突击队员

 

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 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。

3 scattered   

adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的

参考例句：

• Gathering up his scattered papers,he pushed them into his case.他把散乱的文件收拾起来，塞进文件夹里。

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 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。

6 dome   

n.圆屋顶，拱顶

参考例句：

• The dome was supported by white marble columns.圆顶由白色大理石柱支撑着。
• They formed the dome with the tree's branches.他们用树枝搭成圆屋顶。

7 allied   

adj.协约国的；同盟国的

参考例句：

• Britain was allied with the United States many times in history.历史上英国曾多次与美国结盟。
• Allied forces sustained heavy losses in the first few weeks of the campaign.同盟国在最初几周内遭受了巨大的损失。

8 assassination   

n.暗杀；暗杀事件

参考例句：

• The assassination of the president brought matters to a head.总统遭暗杀使事态到了严重关头。
• Lincoln's assassination in 1865 shocked the whole nation.1865年，林肯遇刺事件震惊全美国。

9 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

10 subsided   

v.（土地）下陷（因在地下采矿）( subside的过去式和过去分词 )；减弱；下降至较低或正常水平；一下子坐在椅子等上

参考例句：

• After the heavy rains part of the road subsided. 大雨过后，部分公路塌陷了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• By evening the storm had subsided and all was quiet again. 傍晚， 暴风雨已经过去，四周开始沉寂下来。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

11 apprehensive   

adj.担心的，恐惧的，善于领会的

参考例句：

• She was deeply apprehensive about her future.她对未来感到非常担心。
• He was rather apprehensive of failure.他相当害怕失败。

12 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

13 ranger   

n.国家公园管理员，护林员；骑兵巡逻队员

参考例句：

• He was the head ranger of the national park.他曾是国家公园的首席看守员。
• He loved working as a ranger.他喜欢做护林人。

14 rangers   

护林者( ranger的名词复数 )； 突击队员

参考例句：

• Do you know where the Rangers Stadium is? 你知道Rangers体育场在哪吗？ 来自超越目标英语 第3册
• Now I'm a Rangers' fan, so I like to be near the stadium. 现在我是Rangers的爱好者，所以我想离体育场近一点。 来自超越目标英语 第3册

15 deteriorating   

恶化，变坏( deteriorate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The weather conditions are deteriorating. 天气变得越来越糟。
• I was well aware of the bad morale and the deteriorating factories. 我很清楚，大家情绪低落，各个工厂越搞越坏。