2006年VOA标准英语-Indonesia to Free Bali Bomber as Muslims Celebr

By Nancy-Amelia Collins
Jakarta
23 October 2006 

		Indonesian Muslims pray during the start of celebrations for the Eid al Fitr holiday at parangkusumo beach in Yogyakarta, October 23, 2006

Indonesian officials say they will release at least two Islamic militants¹ in jail for involvement in the 2002 terrorist bombings on the resort island of Bali, to mark the end of the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan. 

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As Indonesians prepare to celebrate the holiday, Eid al-Fitr, prison officials say they will release at least two Muslim militants on Tuesday, the day most people will celebrate the end of the holy month.

Jakarta traditionally reduces prison sentences on holidays for prisoners who show good conduct.

Indonesia has suffered a series of bombings blamed on the al Qaida-linked regional terrorist organization, Jemaah Islamiyah. The government has arrested and jailed more than 300 Muslim militants, in an effort to combat terrorist attacks during the last four years.

Previous early releases of militants have prompted criticism of Indonesia from Australia and the United States.

This week in Indonesia, a secular² nation with the world's largest Muslim population, few people will be thinking about terrorism, however. They will be flocking to the provinces to spend time with their families to mark Eid, also known as Lebaran in Indonesia.

Jaya, a 41-year-old businessman, has been living overseas for more than 20 years. He has just arrived in Jakarta from Bangkok, and is getting ready to take another flight to his hometown of Bengkulu on Sumatra island.

"I already booked a flight to go to Bengkulu on Tuesday and I'm going to give a surprise to my Mom on that day I come for Lebaran, so I'm sure she will be surprised," he said.

On the morning of Eid, Muslims gather together at mosques⁴, fields and other open spaces to pray together.

After morning prayers, when Muslims are supposed to be reborn and pure from the previous month of fasting, the extended family gathers together to eat and celebrate.

In Indonesia, it is also tradition to visit the graves of relatives, and ask forgiveness from family members and friends for any wrongdoing committed during the past year.

Arcis, a single woman who works in Jakarta, will also be traveling to her family home in West Java to celebrate Eid.

"The most important thing for me is seeing my family," she said. "From a religious point of view, well, everyone is there. And we pray together. We go to the mosque³ together, and then we have our dinner, the whole family, the extended family. So, it feels beautiful."

While most Indonesians will begin Eid celebrations on Tuesday, members of Muhammadiyah, the nation's second largest Muslim organization began celebrations Monday, based on their astronomical⁵ calculations of the changing moon.

1 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。

2 secular   

n.牧师，凡人；adj.世俗的，现世的，不朽的

参考例句：

• We live in an increasingly secular society.我们生活在一个日益非宗教的社会。
• Britain is a plural society in which the secular predominates.英国是个世俗主导的多元社会。

3 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。

4 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。

5 astronomical   

adj.天文学的，（数字）极大的

参考例句：

• He was an expert on ancient Chinese astronomical literature.他是研究中国古代天文学文献的专家。
• Houses in the village are selling for astronomical prices.乡村的房价正在飙升。