2006年VOA标准英语-Former Italian Legislator Sparks Muslim An

By Sabina Castelfranco
Rome
06 March 2006

A former Italian minister who made controversial T-shirts emblazoned with cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed says it is an honor to be hated by al-Qaida. His words followed the latest call by the deputy leader of the terror organization to launch attacks against the West.

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Roberto Calderoli (File photo)   
  

Former Italian Reforms Minister Roberto Calderoli said it is an honor to be threatened by al Qaida deputy leader Ayman al-Zawahri and criminals like him who exploit religion for political ends.

His words followed an audio message allegedly by Zawahiri posted on the Internet, Saturday, in which he urged more attacks against the West, and mentioned the former minister. Zawahiri's mention of the former minister was in connection with a T-shirt he wore on television lampooning¹ the Prophet Mohammed.

That incident sparked outrage² in the Islamic world, including riots in Libya, in which 11 people were killed. Calderoli was forced to resign on February 18.

On Sunday, the former minister declared he had not intended to offend Muslims, but to defend the right to different ideas. He said he was to be interviewed on the Arabic television network Al-Jazeera to explain that his party, the Northern League, is against those who use religion as a false pretext³ for other purposes. He says, when religion is used to rally masses of people who have problems of survival and live in difficult conditions, "it is clear that we find ourselves in front of criminals and terrorists."

Calderoli also made a personal attack on Zawahiri, saying the militant⁴ knows nothing about him and his ideas, so he has no right to pass judgments⁵. He says that someone who masterminds massacres⁶ of innocent civilians⁷ and sends young people to their deaths as suicide attackers is a terrorist and nothing more than a terrorist.

Al Jazeera said it hopes that the interview with Calderoli, which should be broadcast next week, will help ease the tension caused by the offensive cartoons, which have led to strong protests in the Muslim world. It says it hopes the former Italian minister will clarify his position and send a conciliatory message to its audience.

1 lampooning   

v.冷嘲热讽，奚落( lampoon的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Larry Ellison is a prime choice for such lampooning because-married, thrice-divorced multimillionaire is larger than life. 拉里·埃里森写那么一篇讽刺性的文章的初衷是因为他生活无羁，且是一个三次结婚三次离婚的亿万富翁。 来自互联网

2 outrage   

n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒

参考例句：

• When he heard the news he reacted with a sense of outrage.他得悉此事时义愤填膺。
• We should never forget the outrage committed by the Japanese invaders.我们永远都不应该忘记日本侵略者犯下的暴行。

3 pretext   

n.借口，托词

参考例句：

• He used his headache as a pretext for not going to school.他借口头疼而不去上学。
• He didn't attend that meeting under the pretext of sickness.他以生病为借口，没参加那个会议。

4 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

5 judgments   

判断( judgment的名词复数 )； 鉴定； 评价； 审判

参考例句：

• A peculiar austerity marked his judgments of modern life. 他对现代生活的批评带着一种特殊的苛刻。
• He is swift with his judgments. 他判断迅速。

6 massacres   

大屠杀( massacre的名词复数 )； 惨败

参考例句：

• The time is past for guns and killings and massacres. 动不动就用枪、动不动就杀、大规模屠杀的时代已经过去了。 来自教父部分
• Numberless recent massacres were still vivid in their recollection. 近来那些不可胜数的屠杀，在他们的头脑中记忆犹新。

7 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。