2007年VOA标准英语-Believers of Three Faiths Gather for Congressio

By Mohamed Elshinnawi
Washington
21 September 2007
 

Members of a Turkish American interfaith support group held their second annual Congressional Ramadan Iftar dinner earlier this week (Wednesday, 19 September) in Washington, D.C.  U.S. lawmakers, Muslim, Christian¹ and Jewish leaders and other prominent guests attended the event sponsored by the Rumi Forum². They listened to several speakers who emphasize the importance of interfaith and cultural dialogue for global peace. VOA's Mohamed Elshinnawi has more 

Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, the secretary general of the Organization of Islamic Conference, made the keynote speech at the dinner at the U.S. Congress and stressed the need to energize³ interfaith dialogue. "What we really need is to have a more comprehensive framework, which I call historic reconciliation⁴ between Islam and Christianity, Islam and the West."

Ihsanoglu called upon representatives of all faiths to have an agenda for their interfaith dialogue to transform misconceptions to mutual⁵ respect.

The first Muslim U.S. Congressman⁶, Democrat⁷ Keith Ellison of Minnesota, agreed. He said the cultural diversity in the United States should encourage more interfaith dialogue. "All people of all colors, all cultures and all faiths need to come together to talk about points of difference so we can discover how we are unified⁸."

The primate⁹ of the Greek Orthodox Church in America shared with the multi-faith crowd his vision of mutual respect as a basis for a successful interfaith dialogue. Archbishop Demetrios said, "If it is genuine, honest and proper, it will offer the real data. Many misunderstandings have to do with lack of knowledge. You fight against something you do not know, if you know you might change your opinion and stop fighting and become friends."

Rabbi Joshua Haberman emphasized how inter-religious dialogue could help spread love and discourage stereotyping¹⁰. Haberman is chairman of the Foundation for Jewish Studies in suburban¹¹ Washington. "We have to learn and know each other and we should not only take our lessons from headlines about scandal and hate and conflict that media overemphasizes, the dark side of human nature. We have to understand that there are loving people, helping¹² people, helping one another even across lines of faith."

The interfaith Iftar concluded with an artistic¹³ flavor to reflect the unity¹⁴ of the human souls through a traditional Sufi music performance.

1 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

2 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

3 energize   

vt.给予(某人或某物)精力、能量

参考例句：

• It is used to energize the city.它的作用是为城市供给能量。
• This is a great way to energize yourself and give yourself more power!这种方法非常棒，可以激活你的能量，让你有更多的活力！

4 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。

5 mutual   

adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的

参考例句：

• We must pull together for mutual interest.我们必须为相互的利益而通力合作。
• Mutual interests tied us together.相互的利害关系把我们联系在一起。

6 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

7 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

8 unified   

(unify 的过去式和过去分词)； 统一的； 统一标准的； 一元化的

参考例句：

• The teacher unified the answer of her pupil with hers. 老师核对了学生的答案。
• The First Emperor of Qin unified China in 221 B.C. 秦始皇于公元前221年统一中国。

9 primate   

n.灵长类（目）动物，首席主教；adj.首要的

参考例句：

• 14 percent of primate species are highly endangered.14%的灵长类物种处于高度濒危状态。
• The woolly spider monkey is the largest primate in the Americas.绒毛蛛猴是美洲最大的灵长类动物。

10 stereotyping   

v.把…模式化，使成陈规( stereotype的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• I realize that I'm stereotyping. 我认识到我搞的是老一套。 来自辞典例句
• There is none of the gender stereotyping usually evident in school uniforms. 有没有人的性别刻板印象通常是显而易见的。 来自互联网

11 suburban   

adj.城郊的，在郊区的

参考例句：

• Suburban shopping centers were springing up all over America. 效区的商业中心在美国如雨后春笋般地兴起。
• There's a lot of good things about suburban living.郊区生活是有许多优点。

12 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

13 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。

14 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。