2007年VOA标准英语-Iraq Government Calls on All Militias to Freeze

By Sonja Pace
Cairo
31 August 2007

The Iraqi government called on armed groups in the country to freeze activities after more than 50 people were killed and hundreds injured in fighting between rival Shi'ite groups in the holy city of Karbala earlier this week.  VOA's Sonja Pace reports from our Middle East bureau in Cairo. 

mosque1 in Kufa, central Iraq, 25 May 2007" hspace="2" src="/upimg/allimg/070907/0853050.jpg" width="199" vspace="2" border="0" />

Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr speaks to supporters at Friday prayers at his local mosque in Kufa, central Iraq, 25 May 2007

Friday prayers in Karbala took place amid an uneasy calm, just days after clashes between rival Shi'ite groups killed dozens, injured hundreds and sent hundreds of thousands of pilgrims fleeing the holy city. 

Two of Shi'ite Islam's holiest sites turned into a battlefield early in the week as police, predominantly affiliated² with the Supreme³ Islamic Council of Iraq fought against gunmen linked to radical⁴ cleric Moqtada al Sadr.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, also a Shi'ite, traveled to Karbala and vowed⁵ to restore order.  And, Moqtada al Sadr later announced his militia⁶ would halt its activities for up to six months.

Iraqi PM Nouri al-Maliki delivers a speech during an opening ceremony for the Government Media Center in Baghdad, 26 Aug 2007

The Iraqi government and the United States welcomed the promise and called on other militias⁷ to follow suit.

Some Iraqi officials are downplaying the significance of the clashes in Karbala.  But, Middle East analyst⁸, Joost Hiltermann from the International Crisis Group, describes the violence as primarily a class conflict, a long time in the making.

"It is a fight between the Shi'ite underclass, the jobless, the followers⁹ of Moqtada al Sadr and the middle class, represented by the Supreme Council as a political party, by Ayatollah Sistani as the senior Shi'ite cleric and the merchant class that lives in the holy cities," he said.

As such, Hiltermann says these inter-Shi'ite clashes are a fight for supremacy¹⁰, what he describes as a social revolution and yet one more conflict in Iraq's layers of civil wars.

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 affiliated   

adj. 附属的, 有关连的

参考例句：

• The hospital is affiliated with the local university. 这家医院附属于当地大学。
• All affiliated members can vote. 所有隶属成员都有投票权。

3 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

4 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

5 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

6 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

7 militias   

n.民兵组织，民兵( militia的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The troops will not attempt to disarm the warring militias. 部队并不打算解除战斗中的民兵武装。 来自辞典例句
• The neighborhood was a battleground for Shiite and Sunni militias. 那里曾是什叶派和逊尼派武装分子的战场。 来自互联网

8 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

9 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

10 supremacy   

n.至上；至高权力

参考例句：

• No one could challenge her supremacy in gymnastics.她是最优秀的体操运动员，无人能胜过她。
• Theoretically,she holds supremacy as the head of the state.从理论上说，她作为国家的最高元首拥有至高无上的权力。