2006年VOA标准英语-Anglican Church in Nigeria Welcomes Ban on

By Gilbert da Costa
Abuja
19 January 2006

The Anglican Church in Nigeria Thursday said it welcomes government decision to push for legislation to outlaw¹ homosexuality. The government said it will introduce legislation to punish homosexuality by up to five years in jail and ban same-sex marriages. A spokesman for Nigeria's Anglican Church described homosexuality as an abomination.

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People walk pass colonial-era Anglican cathedral in Lagos, Nigeria (file photo) 
  

The spokesman for the Anglican church in Nigeria, Reverend Tunde Popoola, says the proposed ban is appropriate. The Anglican community in Nigeria has long waged a vigorous campaign against homosexuals, as Reverend Popoola explains.

"The Anglican church in Nigeria has been in the forefront of condemning² the attitude because the church sees it as an aberration³, in other words, we see it as against the norm. We see it as an abomination," he said.

Nigeria's cabinet Wednesday adopted a proposal to ban same-sex marriage as well as activities relating to gays and lesbians in Nigeria. A bill, which is to be introduced before the national assembly would stipulate⁴ a five-year jail term for anyone engaging in homosexual sex.

Justice Minister Bayo Ojo told reporters at the end of the cabinet meeting in Abuja that the idea is to check what he described as the infiltration⁵ of a negative foreign culture.

"It has been growing in the Western world. Just in December, the incidence crossed over to South Africa and we got worried," he said. So, Mr. President then thought it fit that we should bring a bill to council to prohibit relationships and marriages between people of the same sex."

The public in Nigeria is generally hostile to homosexuality, and the Anglican Church is the most vocal⁶ critic of same-sex marriage.

But in the streets, not all people agreed legislation to ban same-sex marriage is necessary.

"I believe that homosexuals and sex perverts⁷ have always been with us in this country and other parts of the world," said a respondent. "I know they exist. What I don't like about the whole thing is the idea of making noise about it, trying to be recognized like people who are normal sex people."

"I believe that we don't need any law banning same-sex marriage in this country," said another respondent. "Nigeria is essentially⁸ a traditional society and I have not seen anywhere, where a man married a man. Even things like lesbianism, homosexuality, they are done in the secret. Obasanjo should make laws, good laws that will improve the economy of this nation, things that will improve social standing⁹ and not things that are irrelevant¹⁰ to us."

Under Islamic Sharia law adopted by Muslim states in the north of Nigeria, homosexual sex is punishable by stoning to death, but no one has suffered such punishment.

1 outlaw   

n.歹徒，亡命之徒；vt.宣布…为不合法

参考例句：

• The outlaw hid out in the hills for several months.逃犯在山里隐藏了几个月。
• The outlaw has been caught.歹徒已被抓住了。

2 condemning   

v.（通常因道义上的原因而）谴责( condemn的现在分词 )；宣判；宣布…不能使用；迫使…陷于不幸的境地

参考例句：

• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。
• I concur with the speaker in condemning what has been done. 我同意发言者对所做的事加以谴责。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

3 aberration   

n.离开正路，脱离常规，色差

参考例句：

• The removal of the chromatic aberration is then of primary importance.这时消除色差具有头等重要性。
• Owing to a strange mental aberration he forgot his own name.由于一种莫名的精神错乱，他把自己的名字忘了。

4 stipulate   

vt.规定，（作为条件）讲定，保证

参考例句：

• International rules stipulate the number of foreign entrants.国际规则规定了外国参赛者的人数。
• Some manufacturers stipulate the price at which their goods are to be sold.有些制造商规定出售他们生产的商品的价格。

5 infiltration   

n.渗透；下渗；渗滤；入渗

参考例句：

• The police tried to prevent infiltration by drug traffickers. 警方尽力阻止毒品走私分子的潜入。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A loss in volume will occur if infiltration takes place. 如果发生了渗润作用，水量就会减少。 来自辞典例句

6 vocal   

adj.直言不讳的；嗓音的；n.[pl.]声乐节目

参考例句：

• The tongue is a vocal organ.舌头是一个发音器官。
• Public opinion at last became vocal.终于舆论哗然。

7 perverts   

n.性变态者( pervert的名词复数 )v.滥用( pervert的第三人称单数 )；腐蚀；败坏；使堕落

参考例句：

• A clever criminal perverts his talents. 一个聪明的犯罪者误用了他的才智。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Not all fondlers are sexual perverts. 并非所有的骚扰者都是性变态。 来自互联网

8 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

9 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。

10 irrelevant   

adj.不恰当的，无关系的，不相干的

参考例句：

• That is completely irrelevant to the subject under discussion.这跟讨论的主题完全不相关。
• A question about arithmetic is irrelevant in a music lesson.在音乐课上，一个数学的问题是风马牛不相及的。